Young people, old-timers and everyone in between will be carded in selected liquor stores in Nova Scotia next month.

Between Sept. 5 and 11, Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. outlets in New Minas, Wolfville and Antigonish will ask for ID from every customer — whether they look like a post-secondary pupil or a pensioner.

The three communities were chosen for the pilot awareness campaign, which coincides with frosh week, based on their high concentration of university students.

"Based on the amount of drinking that goes on during that time, we're always interested … to try something new and try to keep beverage alcohol out of the wrong hands," Jennifer Gray, a spokeswoman for NSLC, said Wednesday.

Acadia University is located in Wolfville and is about 10 kilometres from New Minas in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. Antigonish, in northern Nova Scotia, is the home of St. Francis Xavier University.

Gray said the campaign isn't meant to irritate customers who might raise an eyebrow when asked for proof of age.

"The campaign is designed to be fun, really," she said. "Everybody gets to feel young again because we're going to ID everyone."

Customers who wouldn't normally be carded won't be turned away at the checkout counter if they don't have ID handy.

"We're certainly going to ask everyone, but we won't refuse service to somebody who's clearly over the legal age," said Gray.

NSLC plans to promote the campaign through radio and print ads and posters. Some restaurants and pubs in the communities will also take part in the campaign, said Gray.

There is also potential to expand the pilot project to other communities and other times of the year in the future.

Currently, NSLC employees are required to ID customers who look 25 years old or under. The corporation also runs so-called Blitz Weeks during certain times of the year, including Christmas, when efforts are stepped up to ID more customers.

The corporation said more than 600,000 customers were asked for proof of age last year and more than 14,000 were refused service.