Reading the Red, Blue and Green Stickers on Old Town Greenwood's First DORA Weekend
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
On Saturday, Oct. 17, Old Town Greenwood's designated outdoor refreshment area, or DORA, gets used for the first time. The DORA lets you carry a drink from a permitted business along Madison Avenue and Main Street. It goes live at the free Old Town Greenwood Beer & Wine Fest, which runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The ordinance behind it has allowed noon-to-midnight hours, seven days a week, since the city council approved it last November. In practice, the DORA won't run that way yet. Until permanent street signs go up, it only operates on designated event dates, with temporary signs marking the edges.
Saturday is the DORA's first event and the first time the stickers, cups and boundary signs get tested with real crowds. The rules are worth knowing before you go, because some of them aren't obvious.
The hours were the most argued-over part of the ordinance. The Daily Journal's coverage of the November 2025 vote reported that the split council approved noon to midnight, Monday through Sunday. Two council members who voted no said those hours should be shorter. One suggested matching Carmel. At the time of that article, Carmel's DORA ran 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Someone floated an amendment to shorten weekday hours, but nobody formally offered it, so the hours stayed as written.
Almost a year later, that debate barely matters for daily life. The temporary-sign arrangement means the DORA is tied to events, not the clock. The Daily Journal's October preview gives no date for the permanent signs, so there's no published timeline for when the DORA becomes an everyday option. Organizer John Michael Jones of Vino Villa told the paper, "This will be the first official DORA event, since we're still kind of getting everybody everything they need."
On an ordinary Tuesday evening this fall, the old rules still apply. Your drink stays inside the business that poured it unless you hear that a specific date has been designated.
Greenwood is also not Johnson County's first DORA. Bargersville approved one in 2024, which makes Greenwood's the second in the county.
According to city documents cited by the Daily Journal, the district covers nearly all of Madison Avenue from Fry Road south to Smith Valley Road. Near Main Street it widens to take in the businesses along Market Plaza. South of Main, it reaches east to Washington Street, which puts Old City Park and Craig Park inside the boundary. Signs with red coloring mark where you enter and leave the DORA.
Being inside the boundary doesn't mean you can drink everywhere inside it. The November coverage notes that every city-owned facility within the DORA gets red stickers or signs saying alcohol isn't allowed. So the two parks fall within the map, while the buildings the city owns there are off-limits for drinks.
The stickers on Old Town's front doors are the most useful part of the system for anyone walking around. Every business and temporary vendor in the district gets one:
A blue sticker marks a shop that doesn't sell drinks but will let you browse with one. On a festival day, that's the difference between finishing your cup on the sidewalk and carrying it into a vintage store.
The cups follow their own rules. Drinks have to be in official DORA cups with a DORA sticker and a QR code that links to more information. Outside drinks aren't allowed, and each person can carry up to two drinks at a time. Each drink type has its own size limit:
| Drink | Maximum per cup |
|---|---|
| Beer or malt beverage | 16 ounces |
| Wine, cider or hard seltzer | 12 ounces |
| Mixed drink | 10 ounces, with no more than 2 ounces of liquor |
Public intoxication is still a criminal offense inside the DORA, and the city said it would add police patrols. This is a plain-language summary of reported rules, not legal advice. If you're running a business or planning an event in the district, confirm the details with the City of Greenwood.
Getting a green sticker takes three approvals. A business files a permit request with the city, the Board of Public Works and Safety approves it, and the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission gives final approval. Permanent permits are reviewed every year, and temporary vendors get one-time permits through the same process.
By the time of the November 2025 vote, ten Old Town businesses had submitted completed applications:
The October preview also lists C&C Lounge among the businesses with completed applications, and a Daily Journal photo shows a DORA sticker in its door. Both lists are applicants, and applying isn't the same as having the full state approval. On Saturday, the sticker on the door is the more reliable guide.
The festival grew out of two separate ideas. Jones wanted something like a wine festival he'd seen in Switzerland County. When he brought it to Old Town Greenwood Inc., he learned that Rachel Matthews and SmockTown Brewery were planning something similar around beer, and the two teamed up. They also worked with Mayor Mark Myers and his staff to get the cups and stickers ready, and they've been meeting with businesses about the rules.
Live music runs all day from local bands Cover Gurlz, Houseshot, the Fisher Kings and Post Alone. Vino Villa will pour wine tastings throughout the day, and participating restaurants and breweries will have drink specials. Jones told the paper that almost all of the vendors, who sell everything from wooden goods to fall decor to personalized jewelry, are locally based. Besides the two presenting partners, sponsors include Greenwood Pride, SlyFox Creative, Discover Old Town Greenwood and Festival Country Indiana.
"We want to keep people outside and walking around," Matthews told the Daily Journal.
That walking route now passes some newer stops. Melao! Cuban Cafe at 211 W. Main St. soft-opened in May with Cuban coffee, sandwiches, empanadas and tropical-fruit drinks, according to the Daily Journal. Main Street Vintage opened in September 2025 on the first floor of the Grafton Peek building, per the paper's coverage. Check either door for its sticker color before you walk in with a cup.
Old Town has several more events coming up this season. None of the sources reviewed for this post confirms that the DORA will be active at any of them. Until the city or the organizers say so, plan on standard rules.
Main Street itself is due for work, too. The city's project sheet for Main Street Segments 1 and 2, from Meridian Street to Polk Street, plans waterline work in 2026. The roadway, sidewalk, lighting and sewer improvements are scheduled for 2027. Those are planned milestones, not confirmed construction dates. Main Street project page
The DORA's everyday hours are already law. When they start depends on the permanent signs, and the city hasn't announced a date.
If you're curious how a change like the DORA could affect daily life near Madison Avenue, or what it might mean for homes within a few blocks of Old City Park, I'm always happy to talk it through over coffee at Melao! or anywhere else in Old Town. Andrew Prince is a local broker who keeps an eye on these updates. Let's Connect.
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