After the Board of Selectmen approved a seasonal liquor license for Onset summer fixture Kenny's Salt Water Taffy on June 22, the only things left for owners Louise Mastracchio and Joy Clarkson to do were to get approval from the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) and buy the beverages.

But unfortunately, ABCC inspectors couldn't make it to Wareham to inspect the business for anywhere from four to six weeks. The summer tourism season would be well underway by then.

"They're very much backed up," said State Senator Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton), who was in town Tuesday, June 29, to host an economic forum with residents, as well as help kick off Town Administrator Mark Andrews' Safe Summer 2010 initiative.

While making his way through the Onset Pier parking lot (right next to Kenny's) before addressing the crowd, Pacheco was flagged down by Clarkson. She explained the situation.

Pacheco got on the horn.

"I told them, 'Listen, let's just try to put a rush on it,'" Pacheco said in a phone call Wednesday. "They're only open so many weeks of the year, so a bureaucratic snafu could cost them thousands of dollars."

Mastracchio and Clarkson had hoped the new license would help boost business.

"The way the economy has been for the past few years, we're trying anything," Mastracchio told the Board of Selectmen on June 22.

By 4 p.m. the next day, Kenny's was approved by the ABCC and the seasonal license was waiting for pick-up at Town Hall.

"He did it," Mastracchio excitedly explained last Thursday afternoon, as a line of customers ordering food and goodies stretched across the store. "We definitely will be [serving alcohol] for the 4th of July weekend."