I guess some folks just HAVE to be first. In the case of Lanny Wagner, that means paying roughly 300 times the going rate for a can of beer. And I thought they gouged you at the ballpark!
Lanny wanted to be the first guy to score a beer at the Putnam County Fair in Ottowa, Ohio, an event that has been a dry one since the 1800’s. The organizers thought they might be able to scrape up a few bucks by auctioning off the privilege of cracking open the first beer in the fair’s history, and they were right. In the end, Lanny was the highest bidder, paying $740 for a $2.50 beer. There’s no word if it was his first of the night, but judging by what he paid for it, I’m guessing it wasn’t. 🙂
He also got a snazzy neon sign, which the Lima News says Lanny is going to donate to his hometown American Legion hall in Continental, Ohio.
The proceeds will go to help the struggling fair stay afloat.
HELPFUL READER UPDATE: A fella who claims to be Lanny’s buddy (and why would he lie?) says he was there to witness Lanny’s generosity:
good friend of Lanny Wagner! He was not drinking and he brought to support our community. The Beer was BUDWISER in the new red white and blue can
So there you have it – $740 for a Bud. That’s more than one costs in prison!
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Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
Somehow I have to bet that it wasn’t a craft beer either !!! Can you imagine $740 for a Bud Lite ?!?
The horror of it…
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. I tried to reach out to Lanny to find out what kind of beer it was, but had no luck. But a struggling county fair in Central Ohio probably isn’t pouring Hoppin’ Frog!
good friend of Lanny Wagner! He was not drinking and he brought to support our community. The Beer was BUDWISER in the new red white and blue can
If they were, they probably wouldn’t be “struggling”, just smilin’ !!!
Good point. if you pour it, they will come!
Being close to Ottawa, I can almost guarantee it was a Bud Light
Unlike some other well-known beer producing states, I had to look up what craft breweries were in Ohio. There aren’t many. I think your Bud Light insight is on target…
Oh, I know it is. I got laughed at by a bartender in Putnam County once for asking for a Killian’s because they didn’t have anything “that fancy”. Great Lakes is available a lot of places, but that’s about it. Thirsty Dog, Moerlein, Hoppin’ Frog, they are all tough to find.
Ohio actually has some fantastic craft breweries and a proud brewing history dating back to long before most of the country. I highly recommend Great Lakes beers from Cleveland and Rivertown is an awesome up and coming Cincinnati brand. Not to mention that a large portion of Sam Adams is brewed in Cincinnati and soon the Christian Moerlein family of beers will be brewing in Cincinnati and not PA.
Compared to North Dakota you’re probably right. Compared to us beer geeks who are spoiled on the coasts Ohio looks like a depressing beer state.
Ohio’s not so bad for beer. Great Lakes makes amazing beer and they get the Michigan beers like Bells, New Holland, and Founders that you can’t get outside of the Midwest. I managed to find plenty of good beer during a week long stay.
True, but it wasn’t a Three Hearted, a Dragons Milk or a Cerise he paid the big bucks for – it was a Bud! You can bring the good beer to Ohio, but you can’t make a Buckeye drink it!
My favorite experience of this sort was helping out at a fundraiser for a new county equestrian center within 5 miles of downtown Atlanta. 47+ acres of pasture & woodlands with stables and an indoor riding rink. $$$ was needed so I asked Terrapin for some help and they said while they couldn’t “give” us beer for free (to re-sell), they could sell us 2 for 1, so we got 2 kegs of Terrapin Rye from the local distributor. Best damn fundraiser ever. Also sold chili and artwork etc…Did it 2 yrs running before I exited the board. 1st year, there was a “tiny” bit left over (most of the 2nd keg) so my neighbors and I did the honorable thing before taking them back for the deposits !!
Way to save the planet! Those beer-laden kegs are heavier than empty ones, so draining it was for the good of the environment.
It’s a tax write-off so he got a beer, tons of attention that he needs from years of his parents ignoring him and a chunk out of his taxes next year. Nice work.