Brewers baseball has cast a spell over distant Wisconsin cities and towns for as long as I can remember, and going to a game has become a celebrated occasion. In the Metro Milwaukee area it can be a "spur of the moment" activity, but in places like Ashland, which sits on the shores of Lake Superior at the top of the state, it's almost a "once in a lifetime" opportunity.
It may sound extreme or far-fetched calling it a "once in a lifetime" opportunity, but when you live far from Milwaukee there are challenges to overcome. Most people's social lives revolve around the community where they have grown up. Wisconsin taverns are unique in the way they serve as a community gathering place for meetings or recreation as well as a place for families and friends to meet and enjoy a meal. So it's natural that this is where a group trip to a Brewers game would be organized.
In Ashland there is one such community gathering place, the aptly named "Neighborly Bar" owned by Jean and Eugene "Crunch" Ronning for the past 31 years, and it is a bevy of activity year round. The bar hosts activities like Rock the Dock, a fundraiser to save the cities beloved ore-dock, as well as many other civic activities to raise money for people in need.
This past Friday night a group of about 50 patrons made the trip down to Miller Park to watch the Brewers take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The drive from Ashland to Milwaukee takes about six hours. To put that in perspective, the drive from St. Louis to Milwaukee also takes about six hours.
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Jean Ronning said that they got on the bus at 6 a.m. Friday morning for the 7 p.m. game. She laughed, saying that "Bloody Marys were the early morning choice." Crunch said that they have people on the trip who were attending their first game, some in their sixties and seventies.
Crunch and Jean's son Jason owns a local printing company in Ashland and he designed shirts for everyone. The shirt resembles the old style Brewer baseball glove logo but with an NB for Neighborly Bar.
It cost was $150 to go on the trip. The tickets to the game were free, the money was used to cover the cost of the bus, hotel and beverages. The tickets were provided by the Tavern League of Wisconsin, which the Neighborly Bar won in a drawing. It took about a month to plan and organize the trip, but most of the spots were snapped up quickly.
As far as the game was concerned, it wasn't much of one, with the Cardinals shutting out the Brewers 3-0. That didn't phase the crew from Ashland as they sat in the Right Field Miller Deck and soaked up the atmosphere of the stadium. You could sense their excitement.
The oldest of the group was John Carlson, 84, who has been to a few games in his day but was disappointed in the outcome. Next weekend, he is going to a stock car race and putting the Brewers' woes behind him.
Others looked on and enjoyed their refreshments, laughing about the trip and some of the people they were with, such as "Guffer," a big personality who entertains with his jokes and stories and keeps everyone relaxed.
It is in this mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together that makes a trip to a Brewer game for tailgating fun and exciting, especially when you live quite a distance away. The Neighborly Bar trip didn't end on Friday night. They stayed in Brookfield, got up early, had breakfast and headed home. They stopped along the way in Stevens Point to spend money at a tavern of friends of Jean and Crunch.
Most fans will continue listening to Bob Uecker on the radio, some will only pay attention if the Brewers are winning, but most will have a story to tell about baseball, a memory shared. Sometimes it isn't about winning or losing, but more-so about the community and the friends you share the experience with that matters. This story repeats itself all over the state of Wisconsin all baseball season long.
If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to email me at baseballbuddha@shepex.com.
