Thursday, August 16, 2012

Happiness is NABC Tafel Bier at the 37th Annual Lanesville Heritage Weekend.


Yesterday I learned that the Lanesville Jaycees will be serving NABC Tafel Bier at their Beer Garden during the 37th Annual Lanesville Heritage Weekend (September 14-16). I'm much obliged to Chuck Smith and his fellow Jaycees organizers for helping to get this done, and while this festival is not a staffing event for NABC (Jaycees do the pouring and devote the proceeds to their yearly good deeds), our crew undoubtedly will be making appearances.

I know I will, because having an NABC beer on tap during Heritage Weekend is a long-standing dream come true.

Growing up, it was closer to Lanesville than Floyd Central. In summer, we'd ride bikes across the gravel roads (now mostly paved) to Lanesville to play baseball and basketball. After high school, I gravitated toward the K & H Cafe, made numerous friends, played some softball, drank lots of bad beer, and took part in enough memories to last a lifetime.

My first Heritage Weekend came in 1979, occasioned by a relationship with a striking Lanesville blonde. The festival was so small that we drank cans of Red, White & Blue from a cooler in a friend's pickup truck, parked right next to the tennis court. These days, there'll be 80,000 visitors throughout the weekend. Obviously, my choice of beer has changed.

From 1987 forward, my life took successive turns. I was traveling to Europe whenever possible, moved residence to Floyds Knobs (and later, New Albany), and got involved with the pizza and beer business, leading to the brewery, and coming to rest now, in 2012. I lost track of people from those Lanesville days, but occasionally was reconnected with them, which always proved joyous.

Perhaps having Tafel on tap during Heritage Weekend will facilitate further renewed contacts. I hope so.

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