Good morning, ladies and gents! Thanks for starting another day with us here at The County Line.
Pat yourself on the back; you’ve made it through another workweek. Today is finally Friday and the weekend is officially upon us, so blare that George Jones loud and proud.
Regular readers here know that we can’t get through the morning post without paying tribute to a ridiculous random holiday, and we have one today that is worthy of the attention. This fake holiday is fitting since it falls on the same day as our weekly hat-tip to The Possum—it’s one that good ol’ No Show Jones would have surely appreciated.
Happy International Beer Day!
Unlike most wannabe holidays we spotlight, there’s actually quite a bit of info available for this one, negating the typical conjecture required to analyze most of our other pseudo-holidays. While it has been fun guessing about the origins and goals of days dedicated to French fries and hammocks, we don’t have to speculate much for International Beer Day. Here are the facts:
International Beer Day traces its origins all the way back to antiquity. It was founded in 2007 by a man named Jesse Avshalomov. Somehow, this one dude with a weird goal did the impossible. Whether by magic, smart promotion, or connections to powerful people, Jesse turned his idea for an unnecessary holiday into a reality. I know I said we wouldn’t have to speculate here, but I can’t help myself: it was probably magic.
From 2007 through 2012, International Beer Day was celebrated on Aug. 5, but since then it has been observed on the first Friday of August. This year, Aug. 5 is the first Friday, so traditionalists can rest easy.
This holiday also has a straightforward, written purpose. More precisely, it has three purposes:
- To gather with friends and enjoy the taste of beer.
- To celebrate those responsible for brewing and serving beer.
- To unite the world under the banner of beer, by celebrating the beers of all nations together on a single day.
Okay—I like the first two purposes. Drinking beer with friends and paying respect to the folks who brew and serve it are good ideas. The third purpose listed is the one that brings out the cynic deep inside me. They lost me at “To unite the world…” Pretty pompous. How much arrogance does it take to think anything could unite the world?
We can’t even unite this one country behind causes that really matter, but fermented grain can do the job on an international scale? Sure, beer might be a better bet than celebrities singing a bad song together, but that’s a low bar to clear. At the current pace of improvement of smug attempts to inspire worldwide harmony, we’re still several generations away from finding the winning formula.
Still, I won’t be a hater. I like beer and I like my friends and my friends also like beer, so I think we can cover purposes No. 1 and No. 2. Despite the delusional third listed purpose, I still vote in favor of this weird, silly ode to beer, just like I did a few years back when Adair County finally elected to go legally wet, after decades of pretending to be dry.
If anyone out there thinks that this post has been an irresponsible advocation of drinking, this paragraph is for you. I am not endorsing drinking or suggesting that anyone should imbibe. This holiday is not meant for people younger than 21. Those who choose to drink a beer to celebrate today’s holiday should do so responsibly—you are not Wade Boggs. Don’t drink and drive. In short, as long as people “act like they got some sense” we’re good. Hopefully, none of these disclaimers are necessary, but better safe than sorry.
In the spirit of International Beer Day, today’s Quote of the Day is appropriate for happy hour. A pair of founding fathers bring you this two-for-one special:
“Beer, if drunk in moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” – Benjamin Franklin
Now for today’s weather, courtesy of the intern:
At 6:30 a.m., it’s 72 degrees and cloudy outside company headquarters in Russell Springs. Intern correspondents in Jamestown and Columbia report wet, stormy conditions as well, with temps hovering in the same range, between 72 and 74. Keep your umbrella by the door and wear your rain boots; scattered storms are expected throughout the day. The daytime high will top out in the low 80s.
That’s all for now. Thanks for joining us for some lighthearted nonsense once again. Check back with us throughout the day, because we have plenty more fresh content headed your way, always from local voices.
This post is dedicated to Caydee Burton, who celebrates her birthday today. We hope it’s a great one, Caydee!
