In which Ricky the Meadmaker drinks in public and talks to people at the Saint Albans, VT Rotary Home Show.
Ricky the Meadmaker
I'm not at home today which is a big freaking deal.
Welcome to Ask the Meadmaker, where I, Ricky the Meadmaker, usually answer your questions about mead making, mead drinking, mead brewing, and any question you're willing to send to me. But not this week. This week, I am doing the third most important part of a brewer's job. First, we talked about how we brew. Obvious. Second, we did a whole cleaning episode, which is a big deal. But now I'm out drinking and talking about the product, which is the best part of what I do. Today, we're doing something even cooler, which is drinking for charity. We're at a Rotary expo. It's actually a home show. So, we're going to talk to some people about what Rotary does and why it sort of makes sense for there to be alcohol here.
Father Rob, you're a member of the St. Albans Rotary.
Father Rob
I am indeed.
Ricky
And what church do you serve?
Father Rob
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Swanton.
Ricky
Wonderful. And why are you a member of Rotary?
Father Rob
For me, it's part of my outreach, which I see as part of my Christian mission. And the theme of Rotary is service above sales. And so, that just makes a lot of sense to me. And this is a great way for me to do what I need to do out in the community. It's just part of my ministry.
Ricky
That's wonderful. And what does Rotary do here and around the world?
Father Rob
So, you may notice the lady fountains in St. Albans Park. We were a big part of that. We've given to the hospital. We work with schools. We have Interact Club, our high school program, and we give internationally. You know, we're this close to eradicating polio and Rotary is part of that.
Ricky
That's wonderful. Anything else you think people should know about Rotary?
Father Rob
Just that we give money locally, we raise money, everything that we give goes back out to the community and to the state, to the nation and to the world.
Ricky
That's wonderful. Thank you so much.
Father Rob
Absolutely.
Ricky
So, you're going to answer the big question. Why alcohol at a home show?
Rob
Ricky, you know, we're the Rotary. We're from Vermont. And we truly appreciate helping out Vermont companies. Vermont is known for its alcohol and its local breweries and all that. We like bringing it back to the roots. Also, you know, it makes everybody happy. How can you not be happy?
Ricky
Right, and people are bidding on things. And it always helps if they have a drink first.
Reyne
Correct. We have a silent auction. I'm the chair of that. And we have so much going on over there. And everybody's smiling because they're going to see you first. So, we appreciate it.
Ricky
We appreciate you.
And to answer the big question, from our perspective, why do we serve alcohol at a home show? Because these people believe in what we believe in, which is community. So, if you need us, we will be there with drinks.
Until next time, keep sending your questions and I'll get to them as soon as possible. Cheers.
