Select Board grants Poor Farm Tavern license after funeral home dispute

Select Board · Meeting of May 19, 2026

Wareham Select Board grants Poor Farm Tavern a music license over a funeral home's objections, then elects a new chair. Town Counsel Rich Bowen told members the entertainment license was protected speech under the First Amendment, calling it "a very powerful right," while funeral home co-owner Christian J. Consoletti argued "it's none of their business what I do" regarding his round-the-clock operations.

The board voted 5-0 to approve the license with a condition requiring eight hours' notice before outdoor performances. Members also unanimously approved liquor licenses for two new Cranberry Highway restaurants, Jefe's Masa Cantina and 12 Knots, proclaimed Wareham a Purple Heart town, and elected Sarah Corbitt chair, with Judith Whiteside moving to clerk.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of May 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.