Mower County Senior Center executive director Sara Schafer stands behind the new moveable bar at the senior center. The Senior Center got approval from the City Council in May for a liquor license to serve alcohol on site for special occasions. -- Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Guests holding a celebration at the Mower County Senior Center can now include a toast in their festivities.

The Senior Center got the needed green light from the Austin City Council on May 21 for its liquor license. The establishment can now serve from a full bar, according to Sara Schafer, executive director of the Senior Center.

Liquor sales at the Senior Center will open the location to having champagne or a bar present during events. These typically include birthday parties, anniversaries and weddings.

“We’re one of the few meeting places in the community that holds 300 guests,” Schafer told the City Council at the meeting last month.

Despite the fact that the license allows the Senior Center to serve all types of alcoholic drinks, Schafer stressed that the purpose was to accommodate events.

“It’s not necessarily for a bar situation during the week,” she said.

The bar itself is set on wheels so staff can roll it to whichever room would best suit its needs.

Money that comes in through liquor sales would go toward the Senior Center’s operation, she said, helping it to become more self-sufficient. Schafer hopes to make the Senior Center rely less on fundraisers and donations to support it.

“Our hope is to better serve the members of the senior center,” she said.