Lapeer Area View

BEER FEST in a BAG this Saturday!

Necessity is the mother of Beer Fest in a Bag

Michele Guerra, brand specialist at View Newspaper Group and Rick Fleming, general manager at Metamora Golf & Country Club raise their souvenir glasses in celebration of Beer Fest in a Bag, which is set for this Saturday, April 24 from 3 to 6 p.m. at Metamora Golf & Country Club. The drive-thru fundraising event to benefit Lions Bear Lake Camp features a variety of craft beer and wine and a boxed BBQ dinner for two - to go! Tickets are $50 and available now. See more on page 3. Photo by Alex Petrie

Michele Guerra, brand specialist at View Newspaper Group and Rick Fleming, general manager at Metamora Golf & Country Club raise their souvenir glasses in celebration of Beer Fest in a Bag, which is set for this Saturday, April 24 from 3 to 6 p.m. at Metamora Golf & Country Club. The drive-thru fundraising event to benefit Lions Bear Lake Camp features a variety of craft beer and wine and a boxed BBQ dinner for two – to go! Tickets are $50 and available now. See more on page 3. Photo by Alex Petrie

Frank Zappa named his band The Mothers of Invention out of necessity. His record label wouldn’t abide by his first choice which was simply The Mothers.

That was a bit of trivia I learned while seeking the origin of the adage “Necessity is the mother of invention.”

Family, friends and coworkers will tell you I am something of a trivia buff, and prone to spontaneously spouting some bit of useless information at any moment. I especially like to find and relate minutiae about rock bands as well as dig up the source of phrases and terms that have made their way into our daily lexicon. My search for the origin of the necessity adage led me to a happy intersection of my two pet trivia fixations. While there is debate about who first coined the exact phrase “necessity is the mother of invention,” I found general agreement, among those who research much more deeply than I, that the idea behind the axiom was first expressed by the Greek philosopher Plato who wrote in his work Republic around 375 BC, “our need will be the real creator.”

Wes Smith View Newspaper Group Publisher

Wes Smith View Newspaper Group Publisher

Which brings me to our drive-thru Beer Fest in a Bag event happening this Saturday, April 24 at Metamora Golf & Country Club — coincidentally another happy junction of things I like.

I understand one could reasonably argue about the need or necessity that drove the invention of this particular event. Is it necessary to stage an event like Beer Fest in a Bag? Does View Newspaper Group need to help raise money and awareness for Lions Bear Lake Camp?

We believe the answer to the second question drives the answer to the first.

Since hosting our first View Newspaper Group event, 2013’s View Brew Fest, our events have raised more than $135,000 for Lapeer-area nonprofits. In addition to the money our events raised and donated, the advertising, promotion and publicity around those events have raised awareness and spurred even more donations and volunteers for our nonprofit event beneficiaries. Even before that first event and from our founding in 2003, View Newspaper Group president and owner Rick Burrough has made it a core part of our mission to give back to the communities we serve through direct cash donations, advertising trades and press coverage to a multitude of nonprofit organizations, foundations, civic and youth groups. Like many local business owners, including the sponsors and supporters of this event, Burrough understands that giving back is just the right thing to do. That includes giving of his time in serving on boards and committees and volunteering at local fundraisers. His ethic of service to the community is followed by every View manager and most of our team.

 

 

So, if you ask, “Was the invention of our Beer Fest in a Bag event driven by necessity?” I’ll answer with a resounding, “Yes!”

It is necessary and part of the DNA of View Newspaper Group to continue to find ways to engage and support our community, even in the midst of a pandemic. It is also our responsibility to do so safely. Beer Fest in a Bag answers both of those demands.

 

 

I invite you to buy a ticket (online at www.mihomepaper.com or call Emily Caswell at 810-513-8501) and join us on Saturday at our drive-thru event. For only $50 you’ll get a boxed BBQ dinner for two, prepared by Chef Dale Poppe, plus a souvenir bag packed with a selection of craft beer, wine, hard cider and other goodies from our sponsors. We’re going to make it super easy and safe with a cadre of volunteers directing traffic, placing the bags in vehicles and getting you safely on your way home, where you can enjoy dinner and a beverage or two in your own backyard. Add some tunes and you’ll have your own little festival. In doing so, you’ll be supporting a great organization.

I hope to see you at the drive-thru. I’ll be the one blasting the Zappa tunes.