Hickory Creek Bar B Que is a hot spot in Baldwin City for Baker University students once the weekend hits.

Known for its karaoke night, as well as bringing in live bands, Hickory Creek may no longer be popular for those students that are under the drinking age.

Near the beginning of February, Hickory Creek put a new policy in place, stating that minors are not allowed after 10 p.m.

“There’s been problems and (the owner) just wants to get rid of them before people start getting in trouble,” senior Jacob Miller said.

Miller works at Hickory Creek and says the policy is a result of problems at other local bars and is for the good of both the business and its customers, because some minors do try to find ways to drink while at the bar.

“The problem we’ve had is people trying to go into the back area and drink, or people who are 21 giving underage people drinks,” Miller said.

To keep those underage from trying to sneak in, Hickory Creek will have a person walking around the bar checking I.D.’s, as well as an employee in regular clothes monitoring the floor.

Senior Adam Taylor has many underage friends that attend Hickory Creek, who will no longer be able to enjoy the bar, and he thinks the new policy could possibly hurt the bar’s business.

“That’s the whole strong point behind their business; the fact that they were a public place where they allowed underage people to go,” Taylor said. “They do have live shows that go on, and karaoke, and there’s nothing else in town that offers something like that.”

Sophomore Jordan Robertson is 20 years old and goes to the bar once or twice a week to eat or hang out.

“It was always a good fallback plan if no one was ever doing anything; you could always bet there would probably be people at the Creek,” Robertson said. “Now there’s not really another place that people can go if they don’t want to go to a fraternity party or Lawrence.”

Miller said the owners of Hickory Creek are unsure how long this policy will remain in place.

For the students who are soon to turn 21, the policy won’t affect them much longer, however, Robertson doesn’t turn 21 for almost a year, and many other underage customers are in the same predicament.

“It kind of upsets me that I wont be able to hang out with my older friends anymore at the Creek,” Robertson said.