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Resident Home Association

Dayton’s Rare Beer Fest Finds a New Home

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Big Beer and Barley Wines moves to the Greek Orthodox Church

This weekend’s upcoming Big Beer and Barley Wines festival, the Miami Valley’s only beer tasting that focuses exclusively on hard-to-find beers, has a new home.

 

In the past several years, the Miami Fairgrounds Roundhouse has housed the event. With the sale of the fairgrounds and an uncertain future about the Roundhouse, Dayton’s most exclusive rare beer festival has relocated to the Greek Orthodox Church Memorial Center (500 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, OH 45405).

 

Along with the new venue, there is a renewed interest in serving the most interesting and hardest to find beers, including pub exclusives and beers brewed specifically for the event. “Since we had to move the festival to a smaller venue this year, that means that we need less beer,” explains Gus Stathes, co-organizer in charge of beer for of the event and General Manager of the Centerville tap house, Ollie’s Place. “The end result is a more tightly curated list of fantastic beer with less ‘filler’ than in previous years. “

 

The beer list, which can be found here is heavy on rarity. “We’ve been working closely with local and regional breweries to secure limited releases that you don’t see on the shelf every day,” notes Stathes. Look for beers like Three Floyds Crack the Skye, Jackie O’s BA Cellar Cuvee, and 50 West’s 10&2 Barleywine (which just won gold at GABF). You can also expect beers from Hoof Hearted, Streetside, and many other local, regional, and national favorites.

Expect this year to bring the heat and to be different from earlier events: “In previous years, the festival had a ‘the bigger the better’ mentality, focusing on alcohol content. This year, and moving forward for years to come, the spotlight is going to be shifted to quality and rarity over heavy-hitting alcohol,” says Stathes. “There’s a world of incredibly complex beer under the 8% ABV threshold,” he adds. “Why limit ourselves from sharing those beers just because they don’t fit under the “Big Beer” umbrella?”

 

Big Beers and Barley Wines traces its roots to 2009, when Mike and Donna Schwartz, owners of Ollie’s Place Craft Beer and Whiskey, Belmont Party Supply, and Brewtensils, first teamed up with Resident Home Association (RHA). Established in 1966, RHA, an Ohio non-profit, provides homes, daily living support and services to individuals with developmental disabilities. The money raised supports individuals with developmental disabilities served by RHA.

 

Peter Roll, RHA’s Executive Director, explains how this event helps the community he serves, “We are extremely thankful for the patrons and sponsors of Big Beers. It is through their generosity that we are able to enhance the services we provide to our residents with developmental disabilities. This year and into 2018, we have some ambitious plans to renovate homes and expand our day program space to better serve our clients.”

 

Big Beers and Barley Wines is a primary fundraiser for RHA. “One hundred percent of the proceeds of Big Beers stays with the Resident Home Association and allows us to invest in services that helps improve the quality of life for those we serve,” explains Roll.

 

Big Beers is also a Who’s Who of the Dayton craft beer scene where volunteers from the area’s craft beer-friendly establishments work tables, serve beer, and mingle with the crowd along with brewers and representatives from highly acclaimed breweries. Guests can order food from one of several restaurants at the event and listen to a live band while sampling their beers. Also offered are door prizes and a variety of raffles to take home souvenirs from the event and support Resident Home Association.

 

The relaxed atmosphere of years’ past is certain to carry over to the new location, in part because of the passion that drives it. “This beer festival means so much to me; to us who plan it,” explains Pam Skelly, RHA’s lead organizer for the event. “It’s fun and more importantly, it’s the Dayton craft beer community coming together to support individuals with developmental disabilities. I’m so proud of the people who continue to support this festival year after year. Proceeds help us to increase the quality of life for the people we serve. It’s the little extras in life: a night out for dinner and a show, tickets to see a concert by a favorite singer, presents at Christmas for those with little to no expendable income, a new coat. . . . these are just a few of the little things Big Beers supports.”

 

Pam Skelly

Although VIP tickets are sold out, there are still general admission tickets available and can be purchased at www.bigbeersdayton.com. General admission tickets are $45 in advance and $50 at the door (if available). General admission starts at 5 pm. Those holding VIP tickets can get an early taste of the beer list, starting at 4 pm.

 

Sponsorships, donations, in-kind support or items for raffles are still being accepted and are greatly appreciated. Reach out directly to Pam Skelly at [email protected] to enquire how you can help the RHA meet their goals.

5th Annual Big Beers & Barley Wines Festival – Ticket Contest

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Beer-fest-logoSome beer festival are all about the masses, offering hundreds of beers, where theirs something for everyone.  But for Big Beers & Barley Wines,  the focus is more narrow.  From it’s inception in 2009, when  Mike & Donna Schwartz, owners of Belmont Party Supply, teamed up with Resident Home Association who support individuals with developmental disabilities,  to host a small boutique quality beer fundraiser.    Showcasing about 100 beers, attendance that first year was about 300 guests.  Now five years later the event has grown quite a reputation for showcasing premium and rare craft beers. Last year there were about 500 in attendance, and with the increased interest in craft beers, there’s no doubt that this event will probably have increased attendance this year.  Organizers have acknowledged the desire to keep this event intimate and will probably cap ticket sales at about 700.

This years event, scheduled for Sat, Oct 11th from 4-8pm, will continue that tradition of extraordinary beers inside the Roundhouse at 10911beerfest205Montgomery County Fairgrounds.  For your $35 admission you’ll get a tasting glass and 20 samples of unique and rare craft beers. All proceeds from this event go to Resident Home Association. Non-drinker/DD tickets are $10.00 and are available at the door day of event.
One of the unique aspects to this festival is the special tappings that happen throughout the event, usually by beer reps who are more than willing to share the history of the brews as they pour.

You can pick up tickets at your favorite beer stop including: Belmont Party Supply, BrewTensils, 5th Street Wine & Deli, Bee Gee’s Market, Boston’s Bistro, Chappy’s Tap Room, Harrigan’s Tavern, King’s Table, Lucky’s Taproom & Eatery, Pour Haus, South Park Tavern, Thai 9 and Trolley Stop or purchase tickets online.

DMM TICKET CONTEST:

We’ve got a pair of tickets to share with one lucky beer fan.  To be entered in our random drawing, fill out the form below and convince us below why you should win these tickets.  Share this story on your facebook page to double your chances to win!

Congrats to our winner Marshall Weil from Tipp City!

Big Hearts, Beers, and Barleywines – A Chat with Peter Roll

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Big Beers and Barleywines logo

Break out the tasting glasses one more time, and help out Daytonians in need!

Dayton is the proud home of multiple, exceptional beer festivals. They kick off in March with AleFeast, pairing fine craft beers with some of the best local cuisine in Dayton. Dayton Beer Week is the big week of beer love in the Miami Valley, with most of the restaurants in town participating in some way. It starts with a beer parade, and ends with AleFest, a day filled with amazing beers from over a hundred breweries. Many of you may even be going to Oktoberfest this weekend at the Dayton Art Institute, another great downtown festival in celebration of German culture, including their fine selection of beers. All of the fans of barley and hops need to save a little room for one more beer festival. Big Beers and Barleywines will be coming up on October 5th, and there are two very particular reasons to support this great event.

One huge reason is how unique the beers will be. This is the event for the craft beer fanatic. Many of the other events showcase a wide variety of beers and breweries, giving patrons an extensive range of popular beers to sample. Big Beers takes a different path, focusing on some of the biggest flavored and rarest beers that can be found in the country. There are 150 beers to choose from, with more unique beers being released on the Facebook page all the time. Some recent releases are Oskar Blue’s Ten Fidy imperial stout, aged for nine months in Four Roses bourbon barrels, Bell’s Black Note, Goose Island Halia, a saison with peach and aged in wine barrels, and Elevator Bar Bar Barleywine. All of these beers are not just delightful to try, but are hard to come by outside of their region or festivals like this one.

Resident Home Association helping people in Dayton

These are some of the many faces the Resident Home Association helps in our city.

The other compelling reason is the charity it supports. The Resident Home Association has been helping adults in Dayton with developmental disabilities since 1966. They provide everything from housing and trips to work to cookouts and ladies pampering classes. They have not just developed a community focused non-profit; they have developed a family that helps each other. Five years ago Peter Roll, the Executive Director of the RHA, was offered an opportunity to partner with old friends of his. Mike and Donna Schwartz, longtime supporters of the RHA and owners of Belmont Party Supply, wanted to have a beer tasting to help raise funds for the non-profit. That beer tasting grew into what we now call Big Beers and Barleywines. Mr. Roll went into greater depth about the organization and what it provides in a conversation I had with him.

Brian Petro: Tell me a little of your background. Are you a Dayton native? Where did you go to school? What did you go to school for?

Peter Roll: I am a native Daytonian. I graduated from Chaminade Julienne High School in 1974-the first graduating class after the merger of Chaminade and Julienne High Schools. While sorting my way through college I worked at the Dayton Children’s Psychiatric Hospital and the St. Josephs Treatment Center. After Graduating from the University of Dayton I was hired by Sally Young at the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disability Services as a Case Manager. It was in my role as a case manager that I became aware of RHA. I knew that if I was to leave the county and work in residential services, Resident Home was the only place I would consider.

BP: What brought you to the Resident Home Association?

PR: As a case manager for the county I had the opportunity to see many residential programs and Resident Home clearly stood out as the best residential provider organization in the area if not the State of Ohio. In 1987 the directors of RHA, Shirley Fowler and Brenda Whitney recruited me and convinced to come to Resident Home. The push for quality services and a well trained and experienced work force were already in place when I arrived in October 1987 and made my decision an easy one. I gave up job security with public benefits to come to a place that puts the care of its residents above everything else. In retrospect I could not have made a better decision and I hope I have contributed to the success of the agency.

BP: How has the RHA changed over the last four decades? Have there been any social developments that have impacted how the organization has grown?

PR: When I arrived we had the capacity to serve 72 people in 9 different locations. We now have the capacity to provide residential services to 80 people in 13 locations. We had some of our more independent people living in an apartment complex in Kettering when I arrived, but because of aging issues, we moved those residents into 2 homes to better look after their health and safety needs. That move occurred in 2007. We also moved 2 homes off of East Third Street. One in 2005 and the other in 2010. Both of these moves were made to provide safer neighborhoods for our residents and to provide homes that were more accessible. In addition to those significant changes we have added new services such as adult day services, transportation services and we are still one of the few agencies providing respite care services. Even as we expanded the number of people served and the types of services offered, we will not put expansion ahead of the quality we strive to provide. Our feeling is that you have to serve within your means and sometimes bigger and more is not always best.

BP: In 2001, the RHA became part of Partners for Community Living. What was the impetus for that move? How has it benefitted all parties involved?

PR: Partners for Community Living is a partnership between the Resident Home and Choices in Community Living that grew out of a philosophy that sometimes it’s easier and more efficient to manage resources in certain areas together that you may not be able to do well or at all, if you attempted to do so individually. It was with this mindset that Partners for Community was formed. Each agency maintains its own identity but we also share resources in such areas as establishing an endowment, having a shared volunteer program, utilizing the same staff to put out newsletters, participate in fund raising events and provide wish lists and “fun raising” events for residents of both agencies. We are now in our 11th year and this venture has been extremely valuable to us as it greatly adds to the quality of life for those we serve.

Peter Roll, Executive Director of the Resident Home Association of Dayton

Peter Roll, (left) Executive Director of the Resident Home Association and enjoyer of fine stouts.

BP: What projects is your organization currently working on?

PR: Right now we are in the midst of a technological transformation. All of our homes have had computers for years but we were not using our electronic capabilities to the point where we could store information. For the past few summers we have been scanning paper records to our servers (in a three week period 50,000 documents) but even as we were doing this our paper continued to grow. We are now evaluating systems that will help us electronically document our daily services and store our information. We are investing in new servers, time systems and electronic medication administration record keeping. This sounds pretty dry but it is very important for us to convert to systems that help us manage and retain our records while at the same time make us more environmentally efficient.

BP: Your organization has over 5,000 hours of volunteer work done each year. What are you looking for in your volunteers? Any skill sets you are in need of or just people willing to help?

PR: We need people of all types to help us out and volunteers are very much appreciated regardless of their skill sets. Everyone has something to offer and we many programs they could choose from that would benefit our agency and those we serve. We have Friends by Choice which is our version of Big Brothers/Big Sisters. We have Adopt–A-Home where an individual or group could pick a location and help with activities, landscaping, etc. We always need help with our events, newsletter mailings and grounds clean-up. Nutritionists, exercise and healthy living, music and art appreciation are other examples of volunteers we could use.

BP: What are the biggest challenges you see for the RHA in the future?

PR: Funding and workforce development. As it stands now our funding sources barely keep pace with our expenses. With new rules, unfunded mandates and the pending impact of the federal healthcare law, we will find it very difficult to make ends meet. We also have an aging workforce especially in the management area and we really need to have some of our folks assume leadership positions. This is also a funding issue. Right now our funders expect quality but don’t want to fund adequate levels of supervision. In addition wages for direct service workers are not what they should be and the push to increase minimum wages has a detrimental effect on us as we are competing for some of the same workers but our expectations are some much higher than the typical minimum wage jobs yet our pay scales our similar. This causes some potential workers to take positions that are less demanding at a similar level of pay.

A large crowd at Big Beers and Barleywines

All of these people will be enjoying the magic of rare craft beers. Will you be one of them?

BP: What is your favorite part of the event?

PR: For me my most favorite parts are the way Mike and his employees, especially Natalie Phillips, embraces the festival but more importantly our mission. They really care about what we do and the people we serve. Their desire to obtain the finest products available to support our cause is sometimes overwhelming. I also like to see the pure enjoyment of the patrons. The smiles, laughter and goodwill gestures are very endearing.

BP: What are your favorite beers to enjoy?

PR: I’m certainly not a great beer connoisseur but I have grown to appreciate porters and stouts.

Dayton has a long history of supporting original industrial and business pursuits as well as creating a strong community that lifts up those that need it. For the price of one ticket, you get to sample some of the best beers in the country as well as help a great local organization. The event itself takes place at the Roundhouse in the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, October 5th from 4PM to 8 PM. All of the proceeds generated by Big Beers and Barleywines go to the RHA, to help them continue to provide the outstanding service that the community has come to expect from them to an even wider range of adults in need. It is a once a year opportunity that is not to be missed.