November 21, 2024 • 28 mins
Imagine raising nearly $100,000 for charity just by singing your favorite carols with a beer in hand. Casey and Ken Weatherford, the heart and soul behind Beer and Hymns, have turned this vision into reality, and they're here to share their incredible journey with us. From the success of their Beer and Carols event to their thoughtful charity selection process, Casey and Ken reveal how their passion for music and community impact has brought people together and fostered meaningful change. Their collaboration with sponsors and volunteers plays a crucial role in this mission, ensuring that every event leaves a lasting imprint on both the attendees and the beneficiaries.
As we explore the vibrant world of live musical events, discover how Beer and Hymns adapted to the challenging times of the pandemic, maintaining the spirit of giving even through virtual performances. The Weatherfords discuss the joy of returning to live shows, highlighting a memorable collaboration with the Northwest Arkansas Community College's Pride group. This episode explores the universal longing for connection and shared experiences, emphasizing how small acts of open-heartedness can forge powerful community bonds. Through Casey and Ken's story, we celebrate the transformative power of music and community, showing that taking even small steps towards involvement can enrich lives in profound ways.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the 4.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Bars podcast.
I'm Ken Leith and I'm PattiLeith.
We're your hosts for somecompelling dialogue, encouraging
our listeners to strengthentheir connections and build
strong communities, lifting eachother up and connecting in ways
that matter.
We named the podcast 4 Bars asa reference to how hard we work
to find a 4 Bars connection onour devices.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
And we wondered what could happen with relationships
if we worked as hard atconnecting.
Let's find out.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Welcome back to the Four Bars podcast.
We're excited to have you withus.
I'm Patti Leith, your co-host.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
And I'm Ken Leith, glad to be here and see you
again.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
And we are here again with Casey and Ken Weatherford,
who are co-founders of Beer andHems, and in our last episode
they shared the origin story ofBeer and Hems.
And our last episode theyshared the origin story of Beer
and Homes.
And today we're going to spenda little bit of time talking
about what's next, but thebiggest thing on the horizon for
you all is Beer and Carols.
Tell us about that event andtell us about what that event
(00:58):
has done for our community.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
It's hard to believe what Beer and Carols has become,
uh, from our very first one,where we were joined by Chad
Markley out of Orange County,california, uh, and packed way
too many people inside of a of asmall Bentonville, and finally
to where we are now, at theRogers Metroplex.
(01:30):
We have consistently alwayssupported the Northwest Arkansas
Children's Shelter for thatevent, and that one is just.
They're a great organization.
They're, unfortunately, theonly children's shelter of any
kind in the state of Arkansas,and so the need that they're
fulfilling it's overwhelming,and so it's been great to be
(01:54):
able to be a part of that.
We've raised thousands uponthousands for them.
It's nearing $100,000 in totalfor that one charity last year,
raising $30,000 in a single go,and we hope to surpass that this
year.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, and I think that you can.
That's awesome.
That's awesome.
Well, I think, on that note,we're going to open a bike, rack
beer and toast the success ofthe next event and the success
of your past year.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Much appreciated Cheers.
I'm going to pour mine here.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Pour yours into the glass.
Cheers and to much love.
Oh, that's yummy, yummy, yummy.
Yes.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
These are beers from Bike Rock Brewing Company, I
believe.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Yes, they are, which is one of our sponsors and
venues.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
We're grateful to them for years of support.
For sure, Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
So tell us about your sponsorships, the results
you've seen.
We have sponsored Beer andCarols for a couple of years.
We love being a part of thatevent.
We love being able to supportthat, but you have some amazing
sponsors.
Tell us about the sponsors andthe results that you're getting
to raise money for these othernonprofits.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Yeah, we have sponsors for our Beer and Carols
event.
We also have annual sponsors,um, that support us all year
long.
When people give to thecharities at our events, 100 of
their donation goes to thecharity.
We don't keep any, any of it.
You know, no credit card fees,the 10 processing fee, every
(03:20):
single dollar goes to thecharity.
So in order to keep ouroperations going buying merch,
paying musicians, you know allthe things that go with
operating a nonprofit andputting on events we have to
have some money.
So we have sponsors thatprovide that, that are, you know
, faithful, all year longsponsors our two title sponsors.
(03:42):
We have a title sponsor for ourTawny Town events and that's
Greenwood Gerhart, and then forour Bentonville events, it's
Bentonville Moves Coalition.
So they support us so much andallow us to put on those two
events with great success.
And then can you name the othersponsors so I don't forget
(04:02):
anybody.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yeah, our annual sponsors.
We've got Ethan Walton Company,a wonderful company.
Russell Bloodworth Photographycomes out and photographs events
for us, the CFO Network.
They help manage all of ourfinances for us.
We're so grateful to them.
We've also got a few churchesinvolved.
First, united Methodist Churchin Bentonville, the Neighborhood
(04:23):
Church in Bentonville, andCentral United methodist church
in bentonville, uh, theneighborhood church in
bentonville and uh, centralunited methodist down in
fayetteville.
We've we've had others, uh aswell that do beer and carol
sponsorships and other things ofthat nature.
Um, did I, did I miss anybody?
Speaker 5 (04:37):
I'm not we mentioned bike rack already bike rack.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
First national bank in northwest arkansas as well.
There we go.
That was my one.
That's what I need to make sureof, fantastic.
Speaker 5 (04:46):
And then we have a couple of.
You know we have some volunteermusicians and volunteer sound
engineers.
Can you tell us how?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
you pick the charities that you support and
how you promote the fundraisingfor those charities.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
I think we mentioned in the last episode that when we
first started Beer and Hems andstarted doing the charity kind
of arm of the event, we justkind of picked charities that we
wanted to support becausethat's all we needed to do at
the time.
The demand got so greatcharities coming to us all the
time saying can we work with you, can we work with you that we
decided to create an applicationprocess.
(05:20):
So we have an application onour website that a nonprofit can
fill out.
It has some criteria Are you a501c3?
You know what we use use thismoney for um, your mission, your
vision for um, for growth orfor using the funds Um.
So they apply there.
And then we have a committeethat goes through all the
applications and looks at youknow who?
(05:42):
Who do we work with last year?
Who do we want to work with inthe future?
Are there any themes for themonths, like domestic violence?
You know awareness month thatwe want to coincide with, and we
just make decisions based onwhat we think the community need
is and what will be compellingto our audience.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Fantastic and your average raise for these
charities you're doing two of usvenues, tiny Town and Bike Rack
Brewing Company.
Tiny Town Vineyards and BikeRack Brewing Company supply a
portion of revenue.
You do a lot in advance toraise money.
People can give to the causeall month.
What's your average taken forthese charities?
Speaker 3 (06:21):
So each month, between the two events, events
which all support the samecharity uh, for that month we're
raising between five and tenthousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
That's amazing and so many of these are smaller um
smaller charities and and havesuch a compelling focus that
that money just just makes itslife changing it's unbelievable
what the impact is for them andfor others it is.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
It's a smaller drop in the bucket, but for many it
is absolutely game changing.
We love the phrase that we useat Beer and Hymns is we want to
have an outsized impact, and sowhen we work with these smaller
charities, we're looking for theimpact that they have as well.
Charities, we're looking forthe impact that they have as
(07:06):
well.
Yeah, and are they having anoutsized impact on their
community, which is, you know, alarger footprint than maybe
necessarily their finances oreven their workforce may seem
like they're going to be able todo?
And we're fortunate we get towork with some great groups
every year.
Speaker 5 (07:20):
And the other great thing is, we don't only raise
money for them, but they get achance to speak and share their
mission, and so they have aplatform, a grassroots platform.
You know no ad spend.
Yeah, they can come and reallyshare with the community what
they're doing.
And there's a lot of under theradar charities that people get
to learn about at Beer and Hymnsevents, and that's really
special too.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
I've learned a lot about our community and I've
made some great friendships justin the.
You know the same people thatcome.
I've gotten to know.
So, yeah, it's such a.
That is one of the things again.
Living here years ago fromoutside, I didn't realize that
Arkansas, and in this particularcase in Benville Arkansas is so
philanthropic.
There are so many people whoare willing to come out and
support charities and reallywant to be a part of doing
something and giving back.
So one of the things we do seeis like you're raising money
(08:13):
from people who attend yourevents, but don't some of those
like the people like Mike Rackand others they give you money
from just what happens therethat day a percentage of things
like that.
Are there others that do that?
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, so both of our venues give 10% of their sales
on the night, which is wonderful, but I will say I mean it's
obviously a very wonderfulcontribution, but it's a small
portion of what's raised eachnight?
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
And the vast majority is.
You know, almost all of ourevents are non-ticketed.
They're free to come and attend.
Beer and Carols is the onlyexception to that rule and you
know it costs us $30,000 to putthe event on.
So you know, it's a verydifferent beast altogether and
we'd love to see you come outand sponsor and hang out.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
It's so much fun and we're a Christmas outfit.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
But the vast majority is just literally people giving
what they have, be it $5, be it$10, $500, $5 million.
Nobody's ever given that, butyou know, one of these days.
Speaker 5 (09:17):
What just astounds me every month is a lot of the
audience are regulars like youguys, and people just keep
giving.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
Yeah, you know, every month, every month.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
There's no end to the generosity of Northwest
Arkansas.
It just blows me away everymonth that people just keep
giving and keep giving.
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
It's amazing.
Speaker 5 (09:33):
And where are we now?
Over the life of Fear and Hymns?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
They've raised $360,000 for the nonprofit.
That's amazing, congratulations.
Last year we did $100,000.
That was our first time hittingthat number and we do believe
we'll eclipse that this year Notby a ton, but I do think we'll
be $100,000, $510,000 by the endof the year.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
That's amazing, I know Even during the pandemic.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
I want to key in yes, yes, emerging from the pandemic
was something.
I want to key in on somethingthat you said.
You said we want to have anoutsized reach and then later
you said we look forward togetting 5 million.
At what point do you feel you'dbe ready to grow the footprint
of this thing, and what does thefuture look like for you?
Speaker 3 (10:21):
It's a great question .
So we were very, very fortunateto work with some wonderful
folks this past winter and havecreated kind of a five-year plan
with that and we're workingthat plan and you know I know we
won't hit every single targetwithin that, but it gives us a
wonderful framework from whichto aim and pursue these goals.
(10:45):
So our hope is within aboutfive years that we're raising
half a million dollars locallyevery single year.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I think that's possible.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Oh, I very much.
I wholeheartedly believe thatthat's possible, and
additionally, though, we're inthe process of hiring a new
director of operations, andthat's a part-time role, but we
see loads of opportunity forgrowth within that, and one of
the kind of longer aims is thatwe would be able to again
(11:17):
Bearnham's not original idea inits simplest form.
I think we were the first onesdoing kind of a charitable side
to it.
But there are communities allover the country and world.
We'd love to come alongsideexisting communities and help
them adopt this nonprofit modeland to help seed communities all
(11:39):
over the country where theydon't exist to look like this.
But again, giving back locally.
So not money coming back toNorthwest Arkansas, money going
back into each individualcommunity, into each community
yeah, yeah, yeah, and communitybeing formed.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
I mean, that's one of the powerful things about Beer
and Hymns, for this community isjust the opportunity to come
together around different setsof beliefs and share music and
get to know each other in waysthat help us not judge.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
A lot of things about the experience and I want to
ask you all to kind of give me adescription of this is.
It is a very active, energeticexperience to be at a Beer and
Hymns event.
Describe what you see from yourvenue on stage, what's
occurring in the audience.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
I'll let you field this one yeah.
Speaker 5 (12:29):
It is very energetic and I think you know one of our
values that we established forBeer and Hymns is that it is fun
and we want it to continue tobe fun.
We're doing some really great,meaningful, impactful work, but
it is not a serious or quietenvironment.
(12:50):
It's a party every time.
Kids are running around.
You know, some people aresitting there reading their song
sheets and really engaging inthe music.
Some are talking to otherpeople.
You know meeting new friends ortalking to old friends or
making connections out in thecrowd.
Some are standing up, some aretalking to other people.
Um, you know, meeting newfriends or talking to old
friends or making connectionsout in the crowd.
Some are standing up, some aresitting down.
Kids, like I said, are runningaround everywhere.
Um, it's all ages and um, yeah,the energy is really.
(13:15):
I mean, it's just a really goodvibe.
There's usually a train ofmultiple generations too.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
when the saints go marching in the night that the
Saints actually won a playoffgame, that was pretty cool
because that was right after.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
I remember that the game was on behind us and we
were playing.
They won and we went into thesong.
Speaker 5 (13:35):
When we did a country set at Tintown Winery there
were some two-steppers.
You just never know what canhappen.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
It's really fun, yeah , so it is.
Speaker 5 (13:44):
It's like a party.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
And everyone gets to be themselves, and that's the
other part of the beauty of that.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
I know this episode is looking into the future, but
we did not talk about yourpandemic experience and coming
out of that.
Can you share a little bitabout what that was like and how
you kept your enthusiasm andyour momentum going?
Because we watched?
You know we watched some ofyour Facebook live feeds during
the pandemic.
Can you share a little bitabout that?
(14:10):
It was very hard.
Speaker 5 (14:11):
Yeah, it was very hard.
The first few months were okay.
We're pivoting, you know, justlike everyone was.
Everyone was okay, that's fine.
In the first few months we'regoing to get a little iPhone
tripod and set it up in ourliving room and we'll just play
the music.
We'll do a shorter set andwe'll do speakers online and
(14:35):
we'll continue raising money forthe charity.
We know we won't raise as much,but it's fine, we've just got
to do this for a few weeks rightour 50 months.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Yeah, we all thought two more weeks, two more weeks
two more weeks, two more just,two more just nope, two years
later we were still doing thatwe were not
Speaker 3 (14:53):
quite that long yeah, we, we, we shuttered in march
of 20 and we started back injune of 21 and then and then we
did have some.
Speaker 5 (15:03):
You know, we had some scared turtle stuff and we had
to go back in our shell, butyeah over a year of every month
doing playing to our you.
You heard about the atmosphere.
You just talked about theatmosphere.
That is what we usually play to.
That's what usually you know weget all that energy, that
awesome positive energy from andpeople singing along, yeah,
playing to our iPhones in ourliving room.
(15:24):
Eventually, matt joined our pod, our pianist, so he could come
in, and so that was helpful.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Gloria did for a minute too.
Gloria did to our cellist.
Speaker 5 (15:34):
So we did have a few other musicians, but it got
really old.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
Yeah, they were passed and giving went down.
We raised a few thousanddollars in the first few months.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
That started dropping quickly, people got tired of
watching music online we did forsure, I remember we bought some
concert tickets to watch itonline and then we would dress
up and stand in our living roomto watch.
But I had a great dress for it.
Speaker 5 (16:03):
But you know, nine months later you're like I don't
want to do that anymore.
I just want to do it on theshow.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
You came out and emerged into you know regular
performances in June of 21.
We were there.
It was amazing.
Can you speak to that?
It was the best one.
Yeah, it was really one ofspeak to that.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
It was the best one.
Yeah, it was really one of thebest it was a very special night
.
Um, we're we're very fortunateto get to work with a group at
uh northwest arkansas communitycollege.
Uh, pride, uh, their theirpride group.
There, uh, we actually helpedestablish a scholarship called
live out loud scholarship and uh, and we continue to fund that
uh each year.
(16:42):
Um, and so that was our firstevent back um and it I'm not
gonna say it was packed, but itwas, it was full it was fall it
was very full and, um, you know,we we close out each of our
events with a song we're gonnaget to share here with you in a
few minutes, called All of theHard Days Are Gone, and it was
(17:06):
introduced to us by Chad Markleyfrom Orange County, california,
beer and Hymns, and it waswritten by a guy named Kevin
MacKrell, who's an Irishsinger-songwriter, still alive
today, actually lives in upstateNew York.
He very kindly gave us therights to the song.
(17:27):
But we close out the night andit's one of these, you know,
it's a traditional Irish pubtune, right, where you just want
to throw your arm around yourneighbor and you sing, and you
sway and you raise your glassand and everybody's just you
know you're together in in thiskind of uh, hopefully magical
moment and and that one, um, thechorus goes all of the hard
(17:51):
days are gone.
It's all beer and whiskey andsongs.
From now on, laugh at thedarkness and dance until dawn.
All of the hard days are gone.
You know, there wasn't a dryeye in that place that night,
myself included.
We were so ready to be backwith one another, to be able to
(18:19):
not just see each other on ascreen but to touch a hand, to
reach out and share love in aphysical way, to actually hug
somebody, to impact somebody andsee, yeah, oh man, it was just
yeah, it was so great yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
I think after the pandemic was over, we saw such a
surge in people who wanted todo just that.
They wanted to go to a liveevent, they wanted to be
surrounded by people, have humaninteraction.
Yeah, not that you know.
You know, being with yoursignificant other and your
children is great, but it's likeyou need that, but you know it
got old, right, I love him byeyeah, bye, but one of the things
(19:02):
we saw and I think again,bentonville has some things
about it that are just easier,and so we have friends, and we
probably all have friends andfamily around the different
parts of the country and here inBentonville during the pandemic
, I will say we could still goout and go for a bike ride, go
out and go to down by a creekand walk around the creek with
(19:24):
our fam, just get out and not befearful of that part of that,
um.
But yet we have friends who livein new york city who were in
their apartments and just tryingto figure out how do they get
out to get groceries and stufflike that, and they really felt
a different experience than wedid.
Um, but yes, yes, that night itwas magical and I can imagine,
(19:46):
thinking back to that, that thatnight happened in probably a
lot of places around the worldand the thing about when you
play, all the Hard Days Are Goneit really feels like
transporting over to Scotland.
I mean it just has that vibe ofbeing in a bar there, an old pub
, and just enjoying that,because, you're right, I don't
(20:09):
know how many people all knoweach other, but there's a whole
lot of arm around the shoulder,kind of thing.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Yeah, and it breaks down that barrier right when it
doesn't matter that you know theperson.
You're sharing a humanexperience, right right, you
don't have to know that person'sname, but your arm might still
be around their shoulder becauseyou're sharing in something
bigger than yourself, be it thesong, be it the pite, be it the
(20:42):
charity or be it the moment.
It's bigger than ourselves andwe get to share humanity.
Speaker 5 (20:49):
Yeah, the sense of community in that moment is just
so powerful.
Every single event.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Yeah, yeah, for our listeners who are local.
I think some are aware of whatyou're doing and some are
happily watching and learning.
What would you share withlisteners just across the nation
about community and music andgiving back?
Speaker 3 (21:16):
Nice pregnant pause there.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Is there a gag?
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Deep questions right, great question.
That really is a wonderfulquestion.
Yeah, your community can befound in so many places and in
so many ways.
It's not, it's not necessarilyabout the big thing.
Um, I'm so proud and in lovewith what Beer and Hymns has
(21:46):
become.
To think the world will haveover 800 people at Beer and
Carols this year is just mindblowing.
But I go back to some of theearliest days with Beer and
Hymns, when it was 20 or 30, orsometimes not even that, and
some of the relationships thatwere were fostered in those
(22:09):
small moments.
Um, it, it doesn't have to beshowy.
Um, it's just about reachingout.
Yeah, right, like it's's justtaking that one little step.
Whatever that is, it does,music's a great tool.
It's a great way to break downa barrier.
I think beer is one as well.
(22:30):
Maybe not everybody agrees withme, but you know, like these
things they can help just breakdown those little walls that we
foolishly put up in front ofourselves, that our minds build
up in front of ourselves, andstop us from making that
connection.
(22:50):
Take that step, whatever it is.
Find that nonprofit you thinkis doing awesome stuff.
I have a passion for makingsure that we work with groups
that work with victims of sexualassault, because I'm a victim
myself.
Whatever that is, whatever thatmoment is, find that group.
(23:13):
You can make such an impact inyour community, something good,
and it changes your own life,let alone alone the others, yeah
I think in along that same vein.
Speaker 5 (23:26):
Um, I love what bernie brown says about having a
strong back but a soft part,you know you know your values
and you know your principles.
But, um, like he was sayingabout breaking down walls, you
got to be a little open-heartedwhen you go into those spaces.
Yes, you know, you got to be alittle bit open and a little bit
vulnerable to say you know, I'mgoing to.
I'm going to let myself show alittle bit and be willing to
(23:51):
connect with someone who's notlike me, or be willing to go
into a space that may be alittle more uncomfortable or
somewhere I haven't been before,or to, just, you know, let
someone else take a step towardsyou If you're not the one
taking the step, but someoneelse is reaching out to you,
soften and open just a littlebit and you never know what can
(24:13):
happen, yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
And I think life is a series of choices to do just
that, and it makes our livesbetter, and I think that when
tough things happen, thosecommunities that you've reached
out to be a part of are thereindeed absolutely well.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
So as we um to really close out, we would love the
listeners to experience yeah,all the hard days are gone,
absolutely awesome.
Speaker 5 (24:39):
Yes, well, this is all of the hard days are gone
and it's uh.
Yes.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Well, this is All of.
The Hard Days Are Gone, andit's by Kevin MacKrell.
That's all he asks.
That we do is make sure to givehim a little credit when we
play.
Speaker 5 (24:49):
And if you want to hear it in person along with all
the Christmas tunes, be sure tocome to Beer and Carols.
You can find tickets online atbeerandgumscom.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
All of the hard days are gone.
Oh, it's cup.
Oh, we're all safe and warmhere, my friends.
Oh, the hard days are gone andthey won't come again.
So raise up your voices andgive us a song.
All of the hard days are gone.
(25:39):
Oh, all of the hard days aregone.
Oh, it's all beer and whiskeyand songs.
From now on, we'll laugh at thedarkness and dance until dawn.
All of the hard days are gone.
Oh, life has been cloudy andgrey, so take the bad memories
(26:10):
and put them away.
The sun has come out.
We haven't waited so long.
All of the hard days are gone.
Oh, all of the hard days aregone.
Oh, all of the hard days aregone.
Oh, it's all beer and whiskeyand songs.
(26:30):
From now on, laugh at thedarkness and dance until dawn.
All of the hard days are gone.
Alright, raise your glass withus.
Woo, raise up your glasses andsing, for the hard days are gone
(26:50):
.
They don't mean a damn thing.
If you want to be happy, I'lltake you along.
All of the hard days are gone.
All of the hard days are gone.
All of the hot days are gone.
It's all beer and whiskey andsalt.
(27:11):
So now I'll laugh at thedarkness and dance until dawn.
All of the hot days are gone.
Laugh at the darkness.
Laugh at the darkness and danceuntil dawn.
All of the hard days are gone,woo, awesome.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
I'm pinching myself a little Cheers, cheers, thank
you all very much To community.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
Thank you for watching.
We look community.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Thank you for watching.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
We look forward to seeing you next time.
Tool called Interface Methodsis a basis for teams to work
together more collaboratively,understand each other and accept
differences and addresschallenges together.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
We also started a nonprofit called Unform your
Bias.
We teach kids and their adultinfluencers how to utilize
storytelling as a means toreduce bias in the world.
We hope you'll check us out,subscribe to our podcast and
look at our website.
Welcome to the 4.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Bars podcast.
I'm Ken Leith and I'm PattiLeith.
We're your hosts for somecompelling dialogue, encouraging
our listeners to strengthentheir connections and build
strong communities, lifting eachother up and connecting in ways
that matter.
We named the podcast 4 Bars asa reference to how hard we work
to find a 4 Bars connection onour devices.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
And we wondered what could happen with relationships
if we worked as hard atconnecting.
Let's find out.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Welcome back to the Four Bars podcast.
We're excited to have you withus.
I'm Patti Leith, your co-host.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
And I'm Ken Leith, glad to be here and see you
again.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
And we are here again with Casey and Ken Weatherford,
who are co-founders of Beer andHems, and in our last episode
they shared the origin story ofBeer and Hems.
And our last episode theyshared the origin story of Beer
and Homes.
And today we're going to spenda little bit of time talking
about what's next, but thebiggest thing on the horizon for
you all is Beer and Carols.
Tell us about that event andtell us about what that event
(00:58):
has done for our community.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
It's hard to believe what Beer and Carols has become,
uh, from our very first one,where we were joined by Chad
Markley out of Orange County,california, uh, and packed way
too many people inside of a of asmall Bentonville, and finally
to where we are now, at theRogers Metroplex.
(01:30):
We have consistently alwayssupported the Northwest Arkansas
Children's Shelter for thatevent, and that one is just.
They're a great organization.
They're, unfortunately, theonly children's shelter of any
kind in the state of Arkansas,and so the need that they're
fulfilling it's overwhelming,and so it's been great to be
(01:54):
able to be a part of that.
We've raised thousands uponthousands for them.
It's nearing $100,000 in totalfor that one charity last year,
raising $30,000 in a single go,and we hope to surpass that this
year.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, and I think that you can.
That's awesome.
That's awesome.
Well, I think, on that note,we're going to open a bike, rack
beer and toast the success ofthe next event and the success
of your past year.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Much appreciated Cheers.
I'm going to pour mine here.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Pour yours into the glass.
Cheers and to much love.
Oh, that's yummy, yummy, yummy.
Yes.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
These are beers from Bike Rock Brewing Company, I
believe.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Yes, they are, which is one of our sponsors and
venues.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
We're grateful to them for years of support.
For sure, Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
So tell us about your sponsorships, the results
you've seen.
We have sponsored Beer andCarols for a couple of years.
We love being a part of thatevent.
We love being able to supportthat, but you have some amazing
sponsors.
Tell us about the sponsors andthe results that you're getting
to raise money for these othernonprofits.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Yeah, we have sponsors for our Beer and Carols
event.
We also have annual sponsors,um, that support us all year
long.
When people give to thecharities at our events, 100 of
their donation goes to thecharity.
We don't keep any, any of it.
You know, no credit card fees,the 10 processing fee, every
(03:20):
single dollar goes to thecharity.
So in order to keep ouroperations going buying merch,
paying musicians, you know allthe things that go with
operating a nonprofit andputting on events we have to
have some money.
So we have sponsors thatprovide that, that are, you know
, faithful, all year longsponsors our two title sponsors.
(03:42):
We have a title sponsor for ourTawny Town events and that's
Greenwood Gerhart, and then forour Bentonville events, it's
Bentonville Moves Coalition.
So they support us so much andallow us to put on those two
events with great success.
And then can you name the othersponsors so I don't forget
(04:02):
anybody.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yeah, our annual sponsors.
We've got Ethan Walton Company,a wonderful company.
Russell Bloodworth Photographycomes out and photographs events
for us, the CFO Network.
They help manage all of ourfinances for us.
We're so grateful to them.
We've also got a few churchesinvolved.
First, united Methodist Churchin Bentonville, the Neighborhood
(04:23):
Church in Bentonville, andCentral United methodist church
in bentonville, uh, theneighborhood church in
bentonville and uh, centralunited methodist down in
fayetteville.
We've we've had others, uh aswell that do beer and carol
sponsorships and other things ofthat nature.
Um, did I, did I miss anybody?
Speaker 5 (04:37):
I'm not we mentioned bike rack already bike rack.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
First national bank in northwest arkansas as well.
There we go.
That was my one.
That's what I need to make sureof, fantastic.
Speaker 5 (04:46):
And then we have a couple of.
You know we have some volunteermusicians and volunteer sound
engineers.
Can you tell us how?
Speaker 2 (04:53):
you pick the charities that you support and
how you promote the fundraisingfor those charities.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
I think we mentioned in the last episode that when we
first started Beer and Hems andstarted doing the charity kind
of arm of the event, we justkind of picked charities that we
wanted to support becausethat's all we needed to do at
the time.
The demand got so greatcharities coming to us all the
time saying can we work with you, can we work with you that we
decided to create an applicationprocess.
(05:20):
So we have an application onour website that a nonprofit can
fill out.
It has some criteria Are you a501c3?
You know what we use use thismoney for um, your mission, your
vision for um, for growth orfor using the funds Um.
So they apply there.
And then we have a committeethat goes through all the
applications and looks at youknow who?
(05:42):
Who do we work with last year?
Who do we want to work with inthe future?
Are there any themes for themonths, like domestic violence?
You know awareness month thatwe want to coincide with, and we
just make decisions based onwhat we think the community need
is and what will be compellingto our audience.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Fantastic and your average raise for these
charities you're doing two of usvenues, tiny Town and Bike Rack
Brewing Company.
Tiny Town Vineyards and BikeRack Brewing Company supply a
portion of revenue.
You do a lot in advance toraise money.
People can give to the causeall month.
What's your average taken forthese charities?
Speaker 3 (06:21):
So each month, between the two events, events
which all support the samecharity uh, for that month we're
raising between five and tenthousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
That's amazing and so many of these are smaller um
smaller charities and and havesuch a compelling focus that
that money just just makes itslife changing it's unbelievable
what the impact is for them andfor others it is.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
It's a smaller drop in the bucket, but for many it
is absolutely game changing.
We love the phrase that we useat Beer and Hymns is we want to
have an outsized impact, and sowhen we work with these smaller
charities, we're looking for theimpact that they have as well.
Charities, we're looking forthe impact that they have as
(07:06):
well.
Yeah, and are they having anoutsized impact on their
community, which is, you know, alarger footprint than maybe
necessarily their finances oreven their workforce may seem
like they're going to be able todo?
And we're fortunate we get towork with some great groups
every year.
Speaker 5 (07:20):
And the other great thing is, we don't only raise
money for them, but they get achance to speak and share their
mission, and so they have aplatform, a grassroots platform.
You know no ad spend.
Yeah, they can come and reallyshare with the community what
they're doing.
And there's a lot of under theradar charities that people get
to learn about at Beer and Hymnsevents, and that's really
special too.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
I've learned a lot about our community and I've
made some great friendships justin the.
You know the same people thatcome.
I've gotten to know.
So, yeah, it's such a.
That is one of the things again.
Living here years ago fromoutside, I didn't realize that
Arkansas, and in this particularcase in Benville Arkansas is so
philanthropic.
There are so many people whoare willing to come out and
support charities and reallywant to be a part of doing
something and giving back.
So one of the things we do seeis like you're raising money
(08:13):
from people who attend yourevents, but don't some of those
like the people like Mike Rackand others they give you money
from just what happens therethat day a percentage of things
like that.
Are there others that do that?
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, so both of our venues give 10% of their sales
on the night, which is wonderful, but I will say I mean it's
obviously a very wonderfulcontribution, but it's a small
portion of what's raised eachnight?
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
And the vast majority is.
You know, almost all of ourevents are non-ticketed.
They're free to come and attend.
Beer and Carols is the onlyexception to that rule and you
know it costs us $30,000 to putthe event on.
So you know, it's a verydifferent beast altogether and
we'd love to see you come outand sponsor and hang out.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
It's so much fun and we're a Christmas outfit.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
But the vast majority is just literally people giving
what they have, be it $5, be it$10, $500, $5 million.
Nobody's ever given that, butyou know, one of these days.
Speaker 5 (09:17):
What just astounds me every month is a lot of the
audience are regulars like youguys, and people just keep
giving.
Speaker 4 (09:23):
Yeah, you know, every month, every month.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
There's no end to the generosity of Northwest
Arkansas.
It just blows me away everymonth that people just keep
giving and keep giving.
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
It's amazing.
Speaker 5 (09:33):
And where are we now?
Over the life of Fear and Hymns?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
They've raised $360,000 for the nonprofit.
That's amazing, congratulations.
Last year we did $100,000.
That was our first time hittingthat number and we do believe
we'll eclipse that this year Notby a ton, but I do think we'll
be $100,000, $510,000 by the endof the year.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
That's amazing, I know Even during the pandemic.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
I want to key in yes, yes, emerging from the pandemic
was something.
I want to key in on somethingthat you said.
You said we want to have anoutsized reach and then later
you said we look forward togetting 5 million.
At what point do you feel you'dbe ready to grow the footprint
of this thing, and what does thefuture look like for you?
Speaker 3 (10:21):
It's a great question .
So we were very, very fortunateto work with some wonderful
folks this past winter and havecreated kind of a five-year plan
with that and we're workingthat plan and you know I know we
won't hit every single targetwithin that, but it gives us a
wonderful framework from whichto aim and pursue these goals.
(10:45):
So our hope is within aboutfive years that we're raising
half a million dollars locallyevery single year.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I think that's possible.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Oh, I very much.
I wholeheartedly believe thatthat's possible, and
additionally, though, we're inthe process of hiring a new
director of operations, andthat's a part-time role, but we
see loads of opportunity forgrowth within that, and one of
the kind of longer aims is thatwe would be able to again
(11:17):
Bearnham's not original idea inits simplest form.
I think we were the first onesdoing kind of a charitable side
to it.
But there are communities allover the country and world.
We'd love to come alongsideexisting communities and help
them adopt this nonprofit modeland to help seed communities all
(11:39):
over the country where theydon't exist to look like this.
But again, giving back locally.
So not money coming back toNorthwest Arkansas, money going
back into each individualcommunity, into each community
yeah, yeah, yeah, and communitybeing formed.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
I mean, that's one of the powerful things about Beer
and Hymns, for this community isjust the opportunity to come
together around different setsof beliefs and share music and
get to know each other in waysthat help us not judge.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
A lot of things about the experience and I want to
ask you all to kind of give me adescription of this is.
It is a very active, energeticexperience to be at a Beer and
Hymns event.
Describe what you see from yourvenue on stage, what's
occurring in the audience.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
I'll let you field this one yeah.
Speaker 5 (12:29):
It is very energetic and I think you know one of our
values that we established forBeer and Hymns is that it is fun
and we want it to continue tobe fun.
We're doing some really great,meaningful, impactful work, but
it is not a serious or quietenvironment.
(12:50):
It's a party every time.
Kids are running around.
You know, some people aresitting there reading their song
sheets and really engaging inthe music.
Some are talking to otherpeople.
You know meeting new friends ortalking to old friends or
making connections out in thecrowd.
Some are standing up, some aretalking to other people.
Um, you know, meeting newfriends or talking to old
friends or making connectionsout in the crowd.
Some are standing up, some aresitting down.
Kids, like I said, are runningaround everywhere.
Um, it's all ages and um, yeah,the energy is really.
(13:15):
I mean, it's just a really goodvibe.
There's usually a train ofmultiple generations too.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
when the saints go marching in the night that the
Saints actually won a playoffgame, that was pretty cool
because that was right after.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
I remember that the game was on behind us and we
were playing.
They won and we went into thesong.
Speaker 5 (13:35):
When we did a country set at Tintown Winery there
were some two-steppers.
You just never know what canhappen.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
It's really fun, yeah , so it is.
Speaker 5 (13:44):
It's like a party.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
And everyone gets to be themselves, and that's the
other part of the beauty of that.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
I know this episode is looking into the future, but
we did not talk about yourpandemic experience and coming
out of that.
Can you share a little bitabout what that was like and how
you kept your enthusiasm andyour momentum going?
Because we watched?
You know we watched some ofyour Facebook live feeds during
the pandemic.
Can you share a little bitabout that?
(14:10):
It was very hard.
Speaker 5 (14:11):
Yeah, it was very hard.
The first few months were okay.
We're pivoting, you know, justlike everyone was.
Everyone was okay, that's fine.
In the first few months we'regoing to get a little iPhone
tripod and set it up in ourliving room and we'll just play
the music.
We'll do a shorter set andwe'll do speakers online and
(14:35):
we'll continue raising money forthe charity.
We know we won't raise as much,but it's fine, we've just got
to do this for a few weeks rightour 50 months.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Yeah, we all thought two more weeks, two more weeks
two more weeks, two more just,two more just nope, two years
later we were still doing thatwe were not
Speaker 3 (14:53):
quite that long yeah, we, we, we shuttered in march
of 20 and we started back injune of 21 and then and then we
did have some.
Speaker 5 (15:03):
You know, we had some scared turtle stuff and we had
to go back in our shell, butyeah over a year of every month
doing playing to our you.
You heard about the atmosphere.
You just talked about theatmosphere.
That is what we usually play to.
That's what usually you know weget all that energy, that
awesome positive energy from andpeople singing along, yeah,
playing to our iPhones in ourliving room.
(15:24):
Eventually, matt joined our pod, our pianist, so he could come
in, and so that was helpful.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
Gloria did for a minute too.
Gloria did to our cellist.
Speaker 5 (15:34):
So we did have a few other musicians, but it got
really old.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
Yeah, they were passed and giving went down.
We raised a few thousanddollars in the first few months.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
That started dropping quickly, people got tired of
watching music online we did forsure, I remember we bought some
concert tickets to watch itonline and then we would dress
up and stand in our living roomto watch.
But I had a great dress for it.
Speaker 5 (16:03):
But you know, nine months later you're like I don't
want to do that anymore.
I just want to do it on theshow.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
You came out and emerged into you know regular
performances in June of 21.
We were there.
It was amazing.
Can you speak to that?
It was the best one.
Yeah, it was really one ofspeak to that.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
It was the best one.
Yeah, it was really one of thebest it was a very special night
.
Um, we're we're very fortunateto get to work with a group at
uh northwest arkansas communitycollege.
Uh, pride, uh, their theirpride group.
There, uh, we actually helpedestablish a scholarship called
live out loud scholarship and uh, and we continue to fund that
uh each year.
(16:42):
Um, and so that was our firstevent back um and it I'm not
gonna say it was packed, but itwas, it was full it was fall it
was very full and, um, you know,we we close out each of our
events with a song we're gonnaget to share here with you in a
few minutes, called All of theHard Days Are Gone, and it was
(17:06):
introduced to us by Chad Markleyfrom Orange County, california,
beer and Hymns, and it waswritten by a guy named Kevin
MacKrell, who's an Irishsinger-songwriter, still alive
today, actually lives in upstateNew York.
He very kindly gave us therights to the song.
(17:27):
But we close out the night andit's one of these, you know,
it's a traditional Irish pubtune, right, where you just want
to throw your arm around yourneighbor and you sing, and you
sway and you raise your glassand and everybody's just you
know you're together in in thiskind of uh, hopefully magical
moment and and that one, um, thechorus goes all of the hard
(17:51):
days are gone.
It's all beer and whiskey andsongs.
From now on, laugh at thedarkness and dance until dawn.
All of the hard days are gone.
You know, there wasn't a dryeye in that place that night,
myself included.
We were so ready to be backwith one another, to be able to
(18:19):
not just see each other on ascreen but to touch a hand, to
reach out and share love in aphysical way, to actually hug
somebody, to impact somebody andsee, yeah, oh man, it was just
yeah, it was so great yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
I think after the pandemic was over, we saw such a
surge in people who wanted todo just that.
They wanted to go to a liveevent, they wanted to be
surrounded by people, have humaninteraction.
Yeah, not that you know.
You know, being with yoursignificant other and your
children is great, but it's likeyou need that, but you know it
got old, right, I love him byeyeah, bye, but one of the things
(19:02):
we saw and I think again,bentonville has some things
about it that are just easier,and so we have friends, and we
probably all have friends andfamily around the different
parts of the country and here inBentonville during the pandemic
, I will say we could still goout and go for a bike ride, go
out and go to down by a creekand walk around the creek with
(19:24):
our fam, just get out and not befearful of that part of that,
um.
But yet we have friends who livein new york city who were in
their apartments and just tryingto figure out how do they get
out to get groceries and stufflike that, and they really felt
a different experience than wedid.
Um, but yes, yes, that night itwas magical and I can imagine,
(19:46):
thinking back to that, that thatnight happened in probably a
lot of places around the worldand the thing about when you
play, all the Hard Days Are Goneit really feels like
transporting over to Scotland.
I mean it just has that vibe ofbeing in a bar there, an old pub
, and just enjoying that,because, you're right, I don't
(20:09):
know how many people all knoweach other, but there's a whole
lot of arm around the shoulder,kind of thing.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Yeah, and it breaks down that barrier right when it
doesn't matter that you know theperson.
You're sharing a humanexperience, right right, you
don't have to know that person'sname, but your arm might still
be around their shoulder becauseyou're sharing in something
bigger than yourself, be it thesong, be it the pite, be it the
(20:42):
charity or be it the moment.
It's bigger than ourselves andwe get to share humanity.
Speaker 5 (20:49):
Yeah, the sense of community in that moment is just
so powerful.
Every single event.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Yeah, yeah, for our listeners who are local.
I think some are aware of whatyou're doing and some are
happily watching and learning.
What would you share withlisteners just across the nation
about community and music andgiving back?
Speaker 3 (21:16):
Nice pregnant pause there.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Is there a gag?
Speaker 3 (21:20):
Deep questions right, great question.
That really is a wonderfulquestion.
Yeah, your community can befound in so many places and in
so many ways.
It's not, it's not necessarilyabout the big thing.
Um, I'm so proud and in lovewith what Beer and Hymns has
(21:46):
become.
To think the world will haveover 800 people at Beer and
Carols this year is just mindblowing.
But I go back to some of theearliest days with Beer and
Hymns, when it was 20 or 30, orsometimes not even that, and
some of the relationships thatwere were fostered in those
(22:09):
small moments.
Um, it, it doesn't have to beshowy.
Um, it's just about reachingout.
Yeah, right, like it's's justtaking that one little step.
Whatever that is, it does,music's a great tool.
It's a great way to break downa barrier.
I think beer is one as well.
(22:30):
Maybe not everybody agrees withme, but you know, like these
things they can help just breakdown those little walls that we
foolishly put up in front ofourselves, that our minds build
up in front of ourselves, andstop us from making that
connection.
(22:50):
Take that step, whatever it is.
Find that nonprofit you thinkis doing awesome stuff.
I have a passion for makingsure that we work with groups
that work with victims of sexualassault, because I'm a victim
myself.
Whatever that is, whatever thatmoment is, find that group.
(23:13):
You can make such an impact inyour community, something good,
and it changes your own life,let alone alone the others, yeah
I think in along that same vein.
Speaker 5 (23:26):
Um, I love what bernie brown says about having a
strong back but a soft part,you know you know your values
and you know your principles.
But, um, like he was sayingabout breaking down walls, you
got to be a little open-heartedwhen you go into those spaces.
Yes, you know, you got to be alittle bit open and a little bit
vulnerable to say you know, I'mgoing to.
I'm going to let myself show alittle bit and be willing to
(23:51):
connect with someone who's notlike me, or be willing to go
into a space that may be alittle more uncomfortable or
somewhere I haven't been before,or to, just, you know, let
someone else take a step towardsyou If you're not the one
taking the step, but someoneelse is reaching out to you,
soften and open just a littlebit and you never know what can
(24:13):
happen, yeah.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
And I think life is a series of choices to do just
that, and it makes our livesbetter, and I think that when
tough things happen, thosecommunities that you've reached
out to be a part of are thereindeed absolutely well.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
So as we um to really close out, we would love the
listeners to experience yeah,all the hard days are gone,
absolutely awesome.
Speaker 5 (24:39):
Yes, well, this is all of the hard days are gone
and it's uh.
Yes.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Well, this is All of.
The Hard Days Are Gone, andit's by Kevin MacKrell.
That's all he asks.
That we do is make sure to givehim a little credit when we
play.
Speaker 5 (24:49):
And if you want to hear it in person along with all
the Christmas tunes, be sure tocome to Beer and Carols.
You can find tickets online atbeerandgumscom.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
All of the hard days are gone.
Oh, it's cup.
Oh, we're all safe and warmhere, my friends.
Oh, the hard days are gone andthey won't come again.
So raise up your voices andgive us a song.
All of the hard days are gone.
(25:39):
Oh, all of the hard days aregone.
Oh, it's all beer and whiskeyand songs.
From now on, we'll laugh at thedarkness and dance until dawn.
All of the hard days are gone.
Oh, life has been cloudy andgrey, so take the bad memories
(26:10):
and put them away.
The sun has come out.
We haven't waited so long.
All of the hard days are gone.
Oh, all of the hard days aregone.
Oh, all of the hard days aregone.
Oh, it's all beer and whiskeyand songs.
(26:30):
From now on, laugh at thedarkness and dance until dawn.
All of the hard days are gone.
Alright, raise your glass withus.
Woo, raise up your glasses andsing, for the hard days are gone
(26:50):
.
They don't mean a damn thing.
If you want to be happy, I'lltake you along.
All of the hard days are gone.
All of the hard days are gone.
All of the hot days are gone.
It's all beer and whiskey andsalt.
(27:11):
So now I'll laugh at thedarkness and dance until dawn.
All of the hot days are gone.
Laugh at the darkness.
Laugh at the darkness and danceuntil dawn.
All of the hard days are gone,woo, awesome.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
I'm pinching myself a little Cheers, cheers, thank
you all very much To community.
Speaker 4 (27:39):
Thank you for watching.
We look community.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Thank you for watching.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
We look forward to seeing you next time.
Tool called Interface Methodsis a basis for teams to work
together more collaboratively,understand each other and accept
differences and addresschallenges together.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
We also started a nonprofit called Unform your
Bias.
We teach kids and their adultinfluencers how to utilize
storytelling as a means toreduce bias in the world.
We hope you'll check us out,subscribe to our podcast and
look at our website.
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