A Disagreement Of Historical Significance
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DAVE’S WORLD
By David Howell
There is a little bit of a disagreement brewing following the Herald’s history report on the beer election 15 years ago. Last week’s report in the Looking Back In Yalobusha History noted that the Herald purchased the first six-pack of beer (for historical purposes only) legally sold in the county after the election. Jack Gurner, a newspaper employee at the time and historian in the Valley, made the purchase.
Donald Dalrymple, a Yalobusha resident who lives at Point Pleasant, came by the office last week with a bottle of Bud Light, claiming he made the first legal purchase of a six-pack of Bud Light in the county after the beer election.
“I am not claiming to have purchased the first six pack, but the first six pack of Bud Light,” Donald told me.
Ironically when Jack purchased the first legal six-pack in the county, it happened to be Bud Light. Clearly a discrepancy has emerged in this matter of historical significance. There are a few facts that both parties agree on – Sprint Mart in Water Valley received the first shipment of beer in the county after the election and both six-packs were purchased the same morning as the shipment was being unloaded.
Donald Dalrymple points to what he claims was the first legal beer sold in the county following the 2007 beer election.
Donald’s argument is that he was only interested in purchasing Bud Light, and he had the delivery man pull a six-pack off as he was unloading. And he is adamant that was the first purchase.
The Herald’s story reported Gurner’s purchase was the first beer legally sold in Yalobusha County since the brew was voted out in 1937. Sprint Mart received 595 cases of beer during the first two days of sales, and the store clerk added you could not get through the store for all beer.
So back to the dispute, I asked Donald what more proof was needed than the Herald’s official report. Donald, and you would have to know him to fully understand, scoffed, claiming that was not irrefutable evidence.
So back in the Herald vault we went for more proof. There was also a receipt from Sprint Mart from the Herald’s 2007 purchase, but the ink has long since faded. Jack managed to make the ink visible, bringing it back up using techniques like we see on television detective shows. There was just barely enough image left on the paper to scan and produce an image, and by increasing the contrast on Photoshop he was able to make it legible. Receipt number 1-1329 clearly shows the transaction was made on December 19, 2007, at 10:13 for beer.
Wait, it gets even better. Jack shot pictures of the beer delivery to Sprint Mart, and the time on the pictures was from 8:13 until 8:47 a.m. Store manager Don Simoneaux was busy receiving the shipment, so Jack gave him the money to purchase the first beer when he could do so. Don purchased it at 10:13 with the
Herald money and put the beer under the counter along with a copy of the receipt. Jack picked up the six-pack later that afternoon and history was made. Ironically Gurner doesn’t drink beer or like the taste. But one of the beers from the six-pack remains on display (right photo) as part of county history.
We will have to see if Donald will concede his claim. If not, I guess a taste test is in the works. We will pop the top on his beer and the Herald’s beer and see which one tastes the oldest.
