MARYLAND LINE, Md. — An event being held this weekend is giving a chance for people to find that unique holiday gift for special someone, all while giving back to the community.
The Penn-Mar Barrel Sale event is taking place Dec. 8 and 9 at the Maryland Line Fire Hall near the Pennsylvania-Maryland border where refurbished and repurposed whisky barrels are being sold.
"We've got Christmas ornaments, keychains, little baby barrels, pencil holders and a few surprise things as well," said Dave Stang, the organizer of the Penn-Mar Barrel Sale event. "We do have some very unique things I think that will surprise quite a few people on Christmas morning."
100 percent of the proceeds support Penn-Mar Human Services, an organization that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
"It's exceptional," said Gregory T. Miller, president & CEO of Penn-Mar Human Services. "It's not always the amount of the gift but it's often what's behind the gift and so people see this and say, 'If this guy wants to do this, what can I do to help?'"
Stang is a 34-year former employee of Jack Daniels and through a partnership with Kevin Sanders, aka 'the Barrel Man', brings up more than 100 whisky barrels from Tennessee to the Maryland Line for the event.
The barrels are refurbished and repurposed by Sanders' employees, many of whom come from troubled backgrounds and has been given a second chance at life through Sanders' business.
"They're all good people, and they’ve been working for him for years," said Stang. "So they’re a part of this, a big part of this too."
The entire event is organized by Stang in memory of his brother, Murray, who had down syndrome and lived at Penn-Mar's community home for nearly 13 years. He passed away in 2018.
It's a way for him to give back to the organization that did so much for him, his brother and his family.
"Everything I learned in life came from my brother. It just means everything to me," said Stang. "When you have a special needs person in your life that can’t help themselves or speak for themselves, to see Penn-Mar represent them and give him the quality of life that they gave him toward the end, I can never pay them back."
It's an event that brings out an outpour of community support he will forever be grateful for.
"To have these people come by here and stop by and hand over their money for this organization and for a whisky barrel that they’re going to put in there house, the fact that they made a solid contribution to the community and this special place Penn-Mar. I can’t thank them enough and I can’t thank Penn-Mar enough," said Stang.
With his brother in mind, Stang plans on making a positive difference in his hometown community for years to come.
"I do it every year and I am going to keep doing it until I can’t do it anymore," he said.
The Penn-Mar Barrel sales event will be held at the Maryland Line Fire Hall at 21631 York Road, Maryland Line, Maryland and will run from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 8 and 9 or until barrels run out.
More information on Dave's story and on the event can be found on Penn-Mar Human Services' website.