Select Board Unanimously Approves Stone Zoo One-Day Liquor License

STONEHAM — December 19, 2025 — Stoneham Select Board approved a one-day liquor license for a private Stone Zoo event in a session that lasted under 15 minutes. The board voted unanimously Friday to grant the license to Sodexo, the zoo's food service contractor, for a gathering of 25 to 28 people inside the Holloway Pavilion on January 4, 2026, running from 5 to 8 p.m. Bethany Whiteside, representing Sodexo, told the board a TIPS-certified bartender and manager would both be on site and that food would be served. The Stoneham police chief had signed off on the application before the meeting, and staff confirmed no police detail would be required given the event's small scale. The board adjourned immediately after, with no other business on the agenda.