Yuengling at 190: The best of time and the worst of times

In the run-up to the 190th anniversary if Yuengling Brewery’s celebration in Pottsville, the Coal Region Canary posed an interesting question: Where would the city be without the famed oldest brewery in the United States? There are a lot of local political and economic questions worth pondering..  As a celebration ensued in the city, many recalled that there have been attempts made before at revitalization. Canary pointed out that so often those attempts fell mostly behind schedule and then fell off the map..

All of that stopped mattering for a brief time on a perfect Saturday night..

There were drones circling in the sky above just under a bright and beautiful moon on a clear and calm July night–it was as if Dick Yuengling himself had a deal with God to provide the best weather possible.  The band Better than Ezra started on time, playing two of the songs that propelled them to greatness back in 1995.. After those brief and fleeting reminders of the Clinton era when we paused life on Thursdays to watch Seinfeld, they covered other songs including the Ramones and James’ Laid..

Better than Ezra ended at nightfall with a cover of Elton John’s Tiny Dancer, even changing the words Blue jean baby, L.A. lady,  to “Pottsville Lady” to the thousands of people’s delight.. as our modern era dictates, we don’t sway our arms with lighters at concerts anymore but instead cell phones..

Immediately as Better than Ezra left the stage, a fireworks show like no other in modern Pottsville history began.. from the mountain where Nativity BVM sits, bombs burst in air including a long duration and intense grand finale that left thousands below first speechless in awe and the cheering in gun-powder filled ecstasy..

The brilliance of the day was captured by images of the crowds it brought.. While the heat of the July afternoon kept the numbers subdued, it appeared thousands roared in later near evening for dinner at dozens of food trucks spread out throughout Pottsville and beer and wine stands .. Money was to be made by anyone who decided to be a vendor .. While waiting in an ice cream line, I saw a wine stand sell 30 bottles in 5 minutes.. Restaurants around the city were filled with lines out the doors. It cash making calvary for a city that is trying to proceed into this century and exist!

Last night’s Yuengling event seemed historic.. 190 years is a long time to be in business, as one of the Yuengling spokesman said prior to announcing Better than Ezra.

It is almost unimaginable for any company to survive that long. Only the best do it. And those in attendance were a part of that long history, now..

The images of the 190th will be seen at the 200th.. And all of the people pictured in the images will be long gone in the future if Yuengling makes it to its 290th.. And a future generation will wonder what life was like during our times? What Pottsville was like.. the 190th photographs will look as ancient as those from Pottsville in the 1800s or 1900s..

BEST OF TIMES AND WORST OF TIMES

History is filled with the best of times and the worst of times occurring simultaneously like Schrödinger’s cat. Last night as Pottsville celebrated, the Bayou was being deluged by a tropical storm and New York City had a blackout–oddly enough 42 years TO THE DAY AND MOMENT of the famous 1977 blackout that led to riots and violence..

And while those mega-tropolis areas stopped because of fateful events, the small city of Pottsville became alive with energy and excitement that last well past midnight for any bars clubs and restaurants that decided to keep taking money from patron’s bottomless and generous wallets..

HISTORY THEN AND NOW

In 1829 when Yuengling began, Andrew Jackson became president and began implementing a policy that would eventually be called the ‘trail of tears’ for Native Americans..

In 1919, when Yuengling turned 90, a great flu pandemic was killing millions across the globe, race riots were taking place across the United States as joblessness was an issue after World War I, but women received suffrage..

In 1929 when Yuengling turned 100, the stock market crashed, the Great Depression began, but the first car radios and telephone booths started to appear in the world, better connecting us..

In 1995, when Better than Ezra was actually on the top hits charts, Ebola became a virus, Tim McVeigh bombed a government building in Oklahoma City, and OJ Simpson was found not guilty.

In 2009 when Yuengling turned 180, the United States had its first African American president, it was embroiled in war across the world, and the economy was teetering on complete collapse..

WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BRING?

What will we be in 2029 when Yuengling turns 200? What will our culture, our society, and our area appear as?

There is no hidden secret here: The coal region is collapsing from the weight of its history.. We still hold true to the hard work and determination that caused wealth to dominate when Yuengling was 100. But in our modern time, homes are collapsing in the county and, even in Pottsville, there are inherent problems that could destabilize revitalization. A mistake would be made to just think new restaurants or coffee shops is enough to bring an area back — though they are instrumental in pushing a culture more towards the modern… It is all a delicate balance.

But all that will matter after the hangovers and headaches vanish from a night of grand partying .. a night of laughter and joy.. a night of history that ended with a grand finale of lights in the sky.

X X X

POTTSVILLE IS THE TINY DANCER

Better than Ezra ending their show with TINY DANCER .. Elton John did not write that song, though it eventually became one of his best known classics. Bernie Taupin, Elton’s writing partner, was inspired by his first trip to America. He wrote TINY DANCER about the culture and women of the time in California.

This is what Taupin said to describe his lyrics,

“We came to California in the fall of 1970, and sunshine radiated from the populace. I was trying to capture the spirit of that time, encapsulated by the women we met – especially at the clothes stores up and down the Strip in LA. They were free spirits, sexy in hip-huggers and lacy blouses, and very ethereal, the way they moved. So different from what I’d been used to in England. And they all wanted to sew patches on your jeans. They’d mother you and sleep with you – it was the perfect Oedipal complex.”

While there may be virtually no connections between this description and Pottsville today, it’s interesting that TINY DANCER was a song about culture and people. A song about a time, a moment..

What is the modern song?
What will the future sing..

That is up to the people now. The choices now.
The decisions now.
Sometimes the best decisions are made over dinner and and a drink. So crack open a Lager and get thinking!