REGINA – Hundreds of people lined up in the relatively warm weather to make sure they got their hands on a case of Bushwakker’s annual blackberry mead.
“We got here last night at about 6:30,” said Richard Dupuis who was first in line. “So we set up right when we got here into town from Manitoba.”
Dupuis and his two friends made up “The Voyagers”. The trio carried canoe oars and wore old-time fur trapper outfits.
“It was a four hour trek in our canoe so it was hard going through those frozen waters on the way here,” he joked.
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Most people didn’t travel quite as far, but most arrived between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.
“It’s something that comes once a year like Santa,” said Devin Maddaford. “You want to come and drink it. It’s fantastic.”
Maddaford lives in Yorkton and has been coming for Mead Day every year since 2009.
“You can only get it once a year and it’s just something that you need to come and stand in line to appreciate,” said Marcel Joyal, who kept warm with in his viking toque and wool beard.
Finally 11 a.m. rolled around the doors could finally open and the enthusiasts could get their mead. Over 6,000 bottles were made available through the off-sale, and it was another sellout.
“The sell-out was a little bit longer this year; about two hours and 45 minutes,” said bar marketing manager Grant Frew. “But we got through it very efficiently, very smooth of course with the wonderful weather.”
This year the bar held a special contest for first in line access. All you had to do was write a limerick about mead. Ashley Martin won and was crowned Queen Bee of Mead.
“The bottle opens with a crack, Blackberry smell your lips go smack. You go in for a sip, that sweet mead hits your lip and you know next year you’ll be back.”
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