NLRPD has responded in riot gear to a large gathering of mothers outside Zen Wine Bar in North Little Rock.

The 911 calls came from nearby store owners who saw the women, who began gathering at 8:15 this morning, banging on the doors and windows of the bar. Many of the women were yelling for the bar to open up. Zen’s normal opening hours are at 4 p.m. on Mondays.

“We have been waiting all summer to be kid free,” Amy Benton, a mother outside the bar, tells us. “I can’t wait until 4 for them to open, I will have kids again by that point. I’ve got to hit 2 bottles of Merlot in time to nap it off and pick the kids up at 3.”

While some mothers seemed jubilant a number of younger mothers appeared to be sitting on the sidewalk in tears. One mother we attempted to interview could only be heard mumbling “he is all grown up now, doesn’t need me anymore”.

Police quickly began directing the crowd of mothers to nearby bars, including the Joint across the street, which were already open. Many mothers refused to leave the property in front of Zen.

“This is typical behavior around this time of year,” a Police Spokesperson tells us. “Last year we began performing sobriety checks in the car pool pickup line and cited over 30 with DWI. These mom’s go wild when the kids go away.”

Police tell us that so far the gathering has been peaceful with no damage to property. Zen has issued a statement saying they will hold an early opening at 10:30. So far only 1 arrest has been made, a mother of a small child was cited for public intox after drinking vodka and orange juice hidden in a sippy cup.