Should BisMan Bars Extend Hours Until 2:00 AM on Weekends?

I went out on the town in Bismarck for a weekend out, totally forgetting that bar close in this town is 1:00 AM. In reality, it is a little more like 12:30 AM. The first night I went out, 12:30 was the time the Blackjack dealer dealt her last hand to my table. The second night, my group was locked out of our last-stop bar at the same time!

Mayor Steve Bakken said that, if bar owners wanted to be open later, it is possible to change the current 1:00 AM closing ordinance. He told me that the reason towns like Grand Forks, Fargo, and Minot are open that extra hour is because they have more of a college crowd to appeal to. He pointed out that factors like Bismarck State College being a two-year school (students graduate before the age of 21) and the University of Mary's location on the outskirts of town could be reasons why there is not a massive college crowd pushing for bars to be out until 2:00 AM.

The 1:00 AM bar closing time seems to be a western North Dakota thing. I moved to Grand Forks when I was still in high school and spent college years there and in Fargo. Then, I moved to Colorado. So, as an adult, I had never even heard of a bar closing before 2:00 AM until I moved to Bismarck. But I totally think we should get that extra hour over here! I mean, Minot did it back in 2019, why can't BisMan?