Recognition for community philanthropy comes from the 

GILFORD—Patrick’s Pub & Eatery has been named a Good Neighbor for 2020 for its community philanthropy and support by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and American Express. 

In granting the recognition, NRAEF cited fundraisers Patrick’s holds on behalf of community groups, and the Pub Mania event founded over a decade ago to support the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction. 

This marks the fourth time Patrick’s owners Allan and Jennifer Beetle, and Jeffrey and Wendy Beetle, have received the award; Patrick’s was also honored in 2008, 2013, and 2018.

“We’re proud. Staff is excited about it,” said Patrick’s General Manager Megan Page, after a plaque was presented April 22 at the restaurant by Samantha McDonald, membership and WC Trust director of the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association (NHLRA). “It’s the best award to receive. It’s great to have an award-winning burger or chowder, but being recognized for being a good neighbor means a lot. We’re being good people.” 

NRAEF said nine out of 10 restaurants are actively involved in community service, yet the organization’s leaders were impressed with Patrick’s creation of Pub Mania, and its pivot to the pandemic-proof It’s for the Kids Community Challenge, which Patrick’s owners launched last year when it was not possible to host Pub Mania live because of COVID-19.

Going forward, the challenge will replace the pub event as the fundraising can be done virtually and can include more teams and participants; in its first year in 2020, the challenge raised $249,460 for the auction, bringing the 11-year total raised to roughly $2.6 million.

McDonald said, “Patrick’s has always been a community-oriented organization. Even in the midst of the pandemic, they have found innovative ways to continue their support of the auction. The NHLRA is very proud to be able to present them with this award, and to have them as part of our community.” 

Page, Patrick’s general manager, said the restaurant owners model community philanthropy for staff in many ways. “We’re constantly working to inspire staff to be part of our fundraising efforts,” she said.

In 2020, for instance, Patrick’s dedicated 50 percent of its proceeds on St. Patrick’s Day to a nonprofit called Got Lunch, which provides free lunches to children in need in the region. The restaurant also provides annual support to many community youth sports teams and hosts occasional fundraisers for individuals or families in crisis.

Many staff were also involved in Pub Mania and remain involved with the Community Challenge as well as the Shuffle—a weekly fundraising walk that raises money toward the annual challenge total. 

“We’re always talking about community fundraising here,” Page said, adding, “I encourage it, but it really comes from the top—Allan and Jennifer and Jeff and Wendy.”

Patrick’s owners also model giving with the staff, assisting them with resources, troubleshooting, and financial assistance when emergencies and life’s disruptions come along.  

“We encourage a family culture here,” Page said. “This is not just a job. It’s a family.”

For more information on Patrick’s Pub, call 293-0841 or visit www.patrickspub.com.

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GILFORD— When Anne DeSantis was 6 years old, her first-grade teacher traveled to Ireland, and, when she came home, she walked the class through the experience of visiting the sprawling countryside.

“She showed us a whole slideshow,” DeSantis recalled. “We saw the day she visited Blarney Castle and kissed the Blarney Stone. She created this image in my mind at a time when I was just starting to learn about my Irish heritage.”

Throughout her life, DeSantis held the fantasy that, one day, she would visit the land of her ancestors and kiss the revered Blarney Stone herself. The stay-at-home mom from Palmer, Massachusetts, thought that trek was still far in the future—until she took part in Patrick’s Pub & Eatery’s “Take Me to Ireland Sweepstakes” in 2016.

After a long afternoon of dining one fall afternoon that year—and waiting anxiously— DeSantis had a moment that was as magical for her as it was surreal. Patrick’s co-owner Allan Beetle announced her name as the winner of the trip for two to Ireland, and she let out a scream her son said could be heard out on Route 11.

Last March, DeSantis and her husband, Scott, joined other travelers on the Patrick’s Ireland trip. She has since thanked us over and over, saying she will never forget the experience.

“It was so fun to have Anne on the trip. She was incredibly enthusiastic and grateful,” said Beetle.

This fall, some other lucky traveler can take a chance at winning a trip again as Patrick’s annual sweepstake event is back! The winner will receive airfare and luxury accommodations to Ireland for two people from March 9 to 18, 2019, a value of $2,375 per person.

The trip package puts the winner in Ireland just in time for St. Patrick’s Day and includes stops at Belleek Pottery, Blarney Castle, the Cliffs of Moher, the Connemara Celtic Crystal Factory, the Glasnevin Cemetery Museum, and Slieve League Cliffs.

Beetle will select the 10 finalists in random drawings on Saturday, Nov. 17, beginning at approximately 3 p.m. Contestants must be 21 or older and must be present to win.

“Make sure you commit to attending,” Beetle said. “Anne was almost not there the year that she won!”

That year, DeSantis had learned about the contest while visiting her condo in Laconia in October 2016, and she’d filled out an entry form to win. She also marked her calendar, noting the date she needed to be at Patrick’s for the drawing.

But when that day came, there were many obstacles to DeSantis leaving her home in Palmer. Her daughter had strep throat, and her husband had a commitment that would not allow him to care for her. So, DeSantis improvised a plan. But then she couldn’t find her car keys.

Finally, DeSantis and her son Ryan broke away with just enough time to arrive at Patrick’s for the beginning of the sweepstakes. The parking lot was packed with cars. The restaurant was standing-room-only, but DeSantis had called ahead to reserve a table in the Emerald Room.

“It was electric in there,” she said. “My son and I kept saying, ‘Somebody in this building is winning a trip to Ireland today.’”

Live Irish music played while Allan and Jennifer Beetle called out names. Dozens of people were not present, but soon they were down to the 10 finalists. When the ninth was called, it was time for DeSantis to pay her check. She had nearly given up.

As she was searching for her wallet in her purse, she heard her name announced as the last finalist, and she bolted to the pub stage. She waited through the reverse drawing of the 10 finalists, with each receiving a prize as they were eliminated from the grand prize. DeSantis was the last of two to survive.

“I literally was shaking when it got down to two,” DeSantis said. “When Allan called my name, my arms shot up, and I screamed. I felt nauseous, like I was going to faint. It was the most unbelievable, fabulous moment.

“I just had a feeling,” DeSantis added. “I can’t explain it. I felt like I had to be there, and I couldn’t leave until I was sure they didn’t say my name. It was such a surreal experience.”

The trip itself, in March, also exceeded DeSantis’ expectations. She saw beautiful castles, went on horse-drawn carriage rides, and she did get to kiss the Blarney Stone. She loved the sheep that dotted the countryside best.

“They were everywhere!” DeSantis said. “Some were painted with green or purple spots, which is how the shepherds tell them apart. I even got to hold a day-old lamb.

“It was such a magical trip, one that will live in my heart and memory forever.”

Visit Patrick’s “Take Me to Ireland Sweepstakes” page at www.patrickspub.com/ireland-trip for this year’s contest rules and trip details. For more information, email Beetle at info@PatricksPub.com.

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Weekly fundraiser resumes tonight at Patrick’s Pub & Eatery and runs through Oct. 24

GILFORD—When Kate Flaherty moved back to New Hampshire from Massachusetts in 2015, she was drawn back into the fold by her longtime friends at Patrick’s Pub & Eatery as a volunteer for the Pub Mania Shuffle and the Pub Mania event itself.

These days, Flaherty’s face is often the first one that new members of Pub Mania teams see when they arrive in the pub parking lot to Shuffle on a Wednesday evening in the spring or fall, and it’s Flaherty who offers the welcome and draws people in.

“Every time we do a Shuffle, we always meet new people; they come down because they’ve read about the event in the newspaper,” said Flaherty, who mans the ticket booth at the Shuffle along with fellow volunteers Jennifer Beetle, Jennifer Bailey, and Lisa Cornish.  

Flaherty’s Shuffle story, and that of the fundraiser itself, is told online at www.patrickspub.com in a new blog Patrick’s launched on Aug. 13.

Flaherty said they all enjoy telling Shufflers how the two-mile walk/run supports Pub Mania, which, in turn, provides a large portion of the proceeds for the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction. Last year, Pub Mania raised $303,630 and has raised over $1.6 million in its first nine years.

This spring, the eight Wednesday Shuffles raised $9,020 for the 2018 Pub Mania event, bringing the five-year Shuffle total to over $52,000. The fall Shuffles begin tonight and continue through Oct. 24. All are welcome to attend.

“What I have noticed is that the Shuffle gets people from different parts of the Lakes Region together, and our common goal is making this beautiful place even better and helping children who need our support,” Flaherty said.

“Many people don’t know about Pub Mania or the Children’s Auction,” she added. “It’s always a conversation I have that starts with, “Did you know…? We love telling that story.”

This because the Pub Mania story is an exciting one.

Inspired by Laconia Athletic & Swim Club’s Cycle Mania, Patrick’s Co-Owner Allan Beetle first imagined the innovative, 24-hour barstool challenge nine years ago as a fundraiser for the Children’s Auction. A major community event held every December for over 33 years, the Children’s Auction provides grants to local nonprofits that help meet children’s basic needs and provide services and initiatives that improve their lives.

Fundraising by Pub Mania’s 33 teams is ongoing all year, bolstered by the Shuffle, which Patrick’s launched in the fall of 2013 to bring more fun and healthy competition into the mix and to keep the Pub Mania conversation going all year long.

Flaherty said everyone does the Shuffle differently. Some people make the $10 required donation and walk the two-plus-mile course that begins at Patrick’s, heads to the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, and winds back. Others run. And some people simply take their raffle and complimentary drink tickets into Patrick’s to have a drink and check out the menu and the specials.

“People can get what they want out of it,” Flaherty said, noting that after Beetle has biked the course and made sure everyone made it back safely, Shufflers have their cocktail, usually with apps or dinner, and hope to win a Patrick’s Frisbee or sweatshirt in the raffle. “They give away good stuff.”

Pub Mania teams have fun competing in the Shuffle over how much money they are raising and how many team members show up to take part—just as they do in the 24-hour event.

Flaherty said her job as Shuffle ticket master is an easy one, but she does have to pay attention. “I have to give out three raffle tickets and one drink ticket to each person—and not the other way around,” she jokes.

The Shuffle has been around long enough, Flaherty said, that it’s become a tradition for many. “It gives people in the community a chance to connect with one another while exercising and raising money to help people in need at the same time,” she said, adding, “I’ve learned from Jennifer and Allan that fundraising can be a lot of fun. It doesn’t feel like work.”

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This year has been a great year of growth for me and for clients of Beetle Press.

I have been expanding my media work, collaborating with clients who have a broader reach and also working for my brother Allan, who runs a restaurant and is a philanthropist and activist in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

It’s quite fun for me to see headlines popping in Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, Washington; and Gilford, New Hampshire.

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech

In partnership with Clarke, last year and in 2018, I have prepared—and in some cases, distributed—releases sent to media located near Clarke campuses in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Jacksonville, Florida, as well as in this region.

Last year, we got some great coverage about Clarke Boston from The Patriot Ledger and in other print publications in eastern Massachusetts.

This year, we’ve made some great headlines together in Philadelphia. In July, I prepared a media advisory that went to media in Philadelphia; the focus was a music teacher from New Jersey who owns a dog who can’t hear. Chris Hannah visited Clarke with his dog to talk about differences, acceptance, and inclusion and to read from a book he penned called “The Adventures of Captain Cochlear and Maestro Mutt.”

The media response to the advisory was tremendous. ABC, NBC, and KYW Newsradio covered the story.

In August, I wrote a media advisory about Clarke Philadelphia’s graduation, featuring young students singing the Philadelphia Eagles theme song, “Fly, Eagles Fly.” This prompted NBC and CBS to cover the event. Clarke also saw coverage on One News Page and MSN.com.

Zoar Outdoor

This summer, I also prepared and distributed press releases for Zoar Outdoor in Charlemont.

One focused on women in the adventure industry—specifically two women at Zoar, Vivian Black, a rafting guide, and Rachel Maestri Hailey, Zoar’s canopy tour manager. It was picked up across the country by The Seattle Lesbian; see their coverage here!

A second release I prepared for Zoar, on its thorough training of five new guides who now lead the canopy tour experience, triggered gonomad.com to visit Zoar and write a feature story about the canopy tour.

Patrick’s Pub & Eatery

About a month ago, I began writing blogs for Patrick’s Pub & Eatery in Gilford, New Hampshire, which is owned by my two brothers, Allan and Jeff Beetle.

I repurposed one blog about a local businessman who sets up shop near the Winni Scenic Trail and the WOW Trail and sent it out to New Hampshire media. In the release, Brian Baxter, the owner of BB’s Hot Bites -N- Cool Delights talks about the boon that the bike paths are for the local economy.

Last week, a new colleague I’ve met at WEMJ in Laconia, New Hampshire, radio personality Pat Kelly, put Brian on his morning show, Good Morning New Hampshire, and talked with him about his business, the bike trails, my brother’s business, and other local topics. It was great fun to hear; Pat is a very engaging journalist.

And on Aug. 23, The Gilford Steamer, a newspaper in Gilford, New Hampshire, picked the release up in full, in print on page A6, complete with a large photo of Brian.

I will continue this expanded work and would be happy to talk with you, if you think you have a story that might be worthy of a broader reach. Feel free to start a conversation!

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