14 May Bad Dad Brewing is Looking for the Best Bad Dad – And You Can Win Big
by Mark E. Lasbury for Indiana On Tap
Everyone has stories about their family. Stories about Mom usually run to how she cared for the family – sacrificed for others. There are always stories about that weird uncle or the crazy aunt. But the bulk of stories usually having something to do with great, weird, or embarrassing dads.
Stories bind families together, and certainly show us that no matter what differences we have, we all have weird families. Family stories serve social, familial, and a historical/evolutionary purposes and that’s all fine. But what if your stories could win you free beer and pizza? Now we’re on to something revolutionary.
Bad Dad Brewing in Fairmount is in the middle of their first “Bad Dad of the Year” search, and the prizes you could win for a great story about your dad are fantastic. The winning father will have their face immortalized on cans of a Bad Dad beer, will win a $300 gift card for Bad Dad pizza and beer over the course of a year, and will have Dad inducted into the Bad Dad Hall of Fame.
The original Bad Dad, Barry Howard (founder of Bad Dad Brewing) says that the brewery is looking for “stories to highlight their “bad dads,” guys who have nailed fatherhood in their own unique way.” For instance, I could write about how my father made write a formal letter to request a raise in allowance, listing reasons that the increase was warranted and expressing an algorithm to justify the new number. Of course, I could also tell the story of when he set fire to the field behind his professional office and almost burned down the racquetball club where I spent nearly a two thirds of my young life.
My dad can’t be the only one who is the main character in a story of how to be a great, weird, embarrassing dad. I bet my kids could tell some doozies, but the one I’m assuming would be near the top of the list is how I used to rip their writing apart in elementary, middle, and high school.
If they were writing a paper – OK, the first draft could have no pronouns, just so they could make sure that every pronoun in the final product had an antecedent. Every paper had to have a written outline, every paper had to have sourced material. Yes, I was an ogre, but now they are stunningly good writers, and they’d be the first admit that my draconian measures worked.
Oh my, I hope my kids don’t read this article and choose some story to submit. But that’s how things run in families, like at the Howard family brewery. It’s even how the brewery got its name. Barry was a serial entrepreneur when sons Derrick and Patrick were growing up, so while other kids were out riding their bikes and going to the fishin’ hole during summer and school breaks, Derrick and Patrick were working at one of their dad’s businesses. Therefore, they had the “bad dad” and everyone else had “good dads.”
Free pizza is a good enough reason to tell stories about your dad. image credit: Bad Dad Brewing
This is the spirit in which the contest is grounded. So start gathering your memories and think of what will work best to get you all that free beer and pizza – a funny story, “bad” advice, a famous dad-ism, or anything you can think of that shows Bad Dad how your dad “hilariously succeeded at being, well, a #2 dad.” A funny video or captioned photo aren’t required, but they can’t hurt your chances.
Here’s how to enter: Anyone who wants to honor their dad (or father figure) as Bad Dad of the Year is asked to post a photo of that person on social media using the hashtag #BadDadSweepstakes and tagging @BadDadBrewing with a caption. You can also submit nominations here online. They are accepting nominations through Monday, May 31at 11:59 p.m., and the winner will be announced on Bad Dad Day – Saturday, June 19.
Finally, to go along with the contest, Bad Dad will also be giving all these “bad dads” their own day, swapping the traditional Father’s Day for their own special holiday – Bad Dad Day that will kick-off at Bad Dad Brewing Co. on Saturday, June 19, for anyone who wants to join.
No Comments