Local winery’s ‘Red Affair’ to benefit Honor Flight, veterans


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WHAT: The Red Affair, a wine-release event benefitting Honor Flight Dayton and supporting local veterans

WHERE: Brandeberry Winery, 5118 Jackson Road, Enon (in Clark County north of Yellow Springs)

HOURS: Noon to 10 p.m. May 28

INFO: (937) 767-9103

Brandeberry Winery at 5118 Jackson Road in Enon, will host a wine-release event benefitting Honor Flight and featuring three World War II veterans from noon to 10 p.m. May 28.

Organizers have named the event “The Red Affair,” and it honors Virginia Brandeberry, mother of James Brandeberry, the winery’s founder. The winery will be releasing a special bottling on May 28 named “Not Your Mother’s Red,” with a 1940s-era photo of Virginia Brandeberry on the label.

Virginia Brandeberry died on Christmas Day 2015, and her granddaughters decided to make a wine label with her photo on it to surprise their winemaker father and to honor their grandmother, according to Kelly Brandeberry, one of those granddaughters and the marketing director for the winery.

“We are encouraging the public to dress in 1940’s fashion or wear red to the Red Affair,” Kelly Brandeberry said.

The "Not Your Mother's Red" is an off-dry blend of merlot wine and blackberry juice, and $5 from each bottle sold at the event will be donated to Honor Flight Dayton. The charitable organization takes veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War to see their national memorials in Washington D.C. Priority is given to terminally ill veterans for any of those wars, and the trips are provided at no cost to the qualified veterans.

Honor Flight Dayton will be at the event selling memorabilia, and a bake sale and basket raffle will benefit the organization. A food truck, Freddie’s Franks and Burgers, will be at the event all day.

Three World War II veterans will be on hand from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. to talk about Honor flight and their experiences, Brandeberry said. They are:

• George Snook, 95, who flew 30 missions on a B-24 as a top turret gunner flight engineer with the 445th Bomb Group 703rd Bomb Squadron. His base commander was Jimmy Stewart.

• Gailard “Red” Ketcham, 90, flew on a B-17 with the 306th bomb group 369th bomb squadron.

• Rolla “Ed” Malan, 90, was a survivor of Pearl Harbor on the U. S. Navy USS Preble DM-20. He was below deck on Dec. 7, 1941 when he heard the first explosion and thought it was the Marines showing off. He then ran up on deck and was buzzed by a Japanese plane.

The event also will feature live music, with Dire Moth performing 1940’s music from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Blue Heron Trio jazz band will perform from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information, go to the Brandeberry Winery Facebook page or call (937) 767-9103.

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