Versailles News
By Kathy Monnin
Poultry Days in Versailles means BBQ chicken, music, and lots of beer. No activist has yet pushed for a name which better describes the industry which put Versailles on the map or spawned the festival. For the record, I hope it never happens.
Poultry is a broad term encompassing domestic fowl such as turkeys, ducks, geese, as well as chickens. The eggs produced from poultry falls into the food group category of meats and proteins, along with cheese, and nuts. But have you ever wondered what category beer falls under?
A good case can be made for considering beer as one of the major food groups. Although it is a beverage comprised predominately of water, it is made with cereal grains, hops, and yeast; sufficient to be a meal. In fact, beer has many benefits, but one needs always remember there are two sides to every coin. Moderation is necessary.
Beer is more nutritious than other alcoholic drinks. Beer has just as many antioxidants as wine, it’s just that the flavonoids are from barley and hops instead of grapes. There is no fat or cholesterol in beer, and it is low in calories and carbohydrates. In fact, beer can improve the cholesterol in the body. Drinking beer regularly and moderately will create a more favorable balance in HDL/LDL cholesterol ratios. According to some studies, as little as one beer a day can boost the HDL by up to 4%.
Moreover, beer appears to help strengthen bones and connective tissue for men and postmenopausal women due to its high silicon content. But the benefit drops significantly when consumption exceeds two drinks a day, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Beer also fights inflammation, aids in digestion, and may reduce the risk of developing diabetes as much as 50 percent. Studies indicate beer can protect the heart and lower one’s risk of cardiovascular disease as effectively as wine. Beer also contains iron, calcium, phosphates, protein, and fiber. It has a good source of heart healthy B vitamins and can even benefit people who have already had heart disease.
Harvard researchers reported that men who had survived a heart attack were nearly half as likely to die over the next 20 years if they drank a couple of beers daily. Note the light beers have the strongest effect since they are lower in sugar. One study shows a single beer for women and two for men each day can lower the risk of all-cause mortality.
Beer may also help prevent kidney stones by as much as 41 percent according to the Clinical Journal of American Society of Nephrology. Beers that contain lots of hops, such as pale ales, are richest in kidney health promoting phytochemicals. Hops can also calm a person and improve cognitive function. Interestingly beer helps slow down memory degradation and may help protect brain cells from oxidative damage associated with dementia, although the study used a dosage much higher than a human could consume via beer, according to the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.
Many ingredients found in beer have shown promise in preventing or even treating cancer when tested in rodents. Lupulone, found in beer, has wiped out tumors in rats with colon cancer. Another ingredient, Xanthohumol (a flavonoid from hops) was found to shrink liver tumors, shut down abnormal cell growth and prevented DNA damage in rats exposed to cancer-causing chemicals.
Finally, beer is one of the oldest beverages in the world with recipes dating back to around 5,000 B.C. Beer can boost the metabolism, treat hypertension, prevent anemia, promote skin and hair health, deter tooth decay and gum disease, reduce the risk of clogged arteries, prevent fat absorption, improve the disposition, and goes well with BBQ chicken and a festival environment. All these claims have reputable studies but of course moderation is the key in all things, and beer is no exception.
“He was a wise man who invented beer.” ~Plato
“On victory, you deserve beer, in defeat, you need it.” ~Napoleon
“Everybody’s got to believe in something. I believe I’ll have another beer.” ~W.C. Fields
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, June 10, Versailles Poultry Day’s BBQ Chicken Drive & Walk Thru opens at 3:30 p.m. Music by the DeMange Brothers from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m., Little Miss Poultry Days Contest at 6 p.m. Music by Tricky Dick & The Cover Ups from 8 to 11:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 11, Versailles Poultry Day’s Parade at 11 a.m., BBQ Chicken Drive & Walk Thru opens at 11:30 a.m., Music by Kevin and the Others from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., the Flag raising ceremony at 1 p.m., the Versailles Community Band from 1 to 2 p.m., Miss Chick Contest from 2 to 4 p.m., Music by the Hammer Jockeys from 4 to 7 p.m. and Brother Believe Me from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 11, Darke County Singles Dance at the Greenville VFW from 8 to 11 p.m. Cover charge is $7. The Mike Willis band will be performing. Doors open at 6 p.m. (Must be 21 years of age.)
Sunday, June 12, Versailles Antique Car Parade Cruise-In from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., BBQ Chicken Drive & Walk-Thru opens at 11 a.m., a Chicken Eating Contest at 1 p.m., Music by Act 3 from 1 to 3:30 p.m., Music by Eight Balls from 4 to 6:30 p.m., Music by Saw Creek from 7 to 10:30 p.m.
Monday, June 13, Memory Lane Dance held at the Greenville VFW from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Open to the public, with music by Tom Everhart. Admission is $5 at the door.
Thursday, June 16, Card Night with Fred downstairs in the Versailles Vets Club Bunker beginning at 7 p.m. Open to the Public.
Friday, June 17, Tenderloin Fry at the Ansonia Legion from 5 to 7 p.m.
Friday, June 17, music by Mike Wells from 6 to 9 p.m. on the Stillwater Valley Golf Course back patio.
Happy 96th birthday to Juliann Phlipot. Birthday wishes to Mary Grieshop, Kerry Marchal, Ernie DeMange, Betty Davis, Tammy Poling, Terri Bey, Rev. Kim Katterheinrich, Rob Grillot, Walter Stewart, Eric Stachler, Betty Shappie, Terry Miller, Connie Schrader, Rue Bowman, Brent Pepple, Dee Adams, Kristine Happy, Cindy DeMange, Marilyn Blakeley, Tim Hodges, Richard Detrick, Pam Spitzer, Rachel Glass, Crystal Barton, Heidi May, Michelle Holsapple, Angie Zimmerman, Summer Lehnertz, Jane Meier, Ron Mescher, Marigold Kingrey, Darla Facemyer, Tony Streib, Vicki Cost, Pete Fullenkamp, Beth Didier, Marjorie Bruey, Amber Bornhorst, Larry Roll, Ayden Bergman, Angie Barlage, Sheila Voisard, Ryan Francis, John Armstrong, Mike Rhoades, Wyatt Browder, and Kathy Sturwold, as their birthdays approach, as well as, anniversary wishes to Angela and Ryan Bergman (20), Sandy and Aaron Bergman (21), Erin & Matt Rismiller (24), Christy and Mike Prakel (32), Michelle and Larry Reed (32), Sandy and Gary Pierron (35), Loretta and Viro Rosenbeck (47), Pat & Bud Wright (49), Louie and Mary Grieshop (53), Erna and Charles Voisard (60), Patsy and Bob Epperly (60), and Shirley and Ed Subler (63). Happy retirement wishes to Ron Kramer.
Please extend your sympathy to the family and friends of Tyler Mescher (23), Joan Holdheide (87), and all those who have passed as well as those we hold within our hearts as the anniversary of their passing nears. Please give your prayers of comfort and healing for the sick, those who struggle, the suffering, the caregivers and those who mourn the loss of their loved ones.
As an act of kindness take one day this weekend and don’t blame or complain about anything or anyone. If you notice yourself starting down the wrong path, simply stop and say, “Not today!”
Kathy Monnin is a volunteer citizen columnist. She can be reached at [email protected] or at 937-423-0914. Feel free to contact her with Versailles news and tidbits. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints nor the independent activities of the author.
