ALBANY COUNTY, N.Y. -- If you live in Albany County and still haven't picked up that bottle of wine or champagne, you have through the evening do so. For the first time since Prohibition, liquor stores can stay open until 9 p.m. Thursday night.

Until today, blue laws only allowed stores in Albany County to stay open from 10 a.m. to noon on holidays. The ban was lifted after an effort spear-headed by Latham business owner Craig Allen. Allen fought the state liquor authority and other officials for several years to have the blue laws repealed.