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The Jaeger family of Marathon had its Thanksgiving get-together Friday. But instead of turkey and candied yams on the menu, it was a steady diet of Budweiser, Miller Genuine Draft and Coors Light.
For the past seven years, the Jaegers have ventured on a post-Thanksgiving pub crawl, using Friday to get together after everyone spends the holiday with the other sides of their families.
They stop at about seven local watering holes, reveling more in the spirit of family than the spirits themselves.
"We all like to drink beer," said Bill Jaeger, sporting a Jaeger Pub Crawl shirt, which listed all the stops on the back. After stopping at each bar, the family members made check marks next to the venue on each other's shirts. "It's just the camaraderie of getting together."
The tradition started in 1999, when Dave Jaeger came home to Stratford from Milwaukee for Thanksgiving. A big fan of local pubs and taverns, he wanted to spend a night out on the town in Wausau, so his uncle Bill scouted out five locations, ending at Day's Bowl-A-Dome for dinner.
"It's just the corner bar atmosphere, it's not a chain," that Dave enjoys, he said. "Down in Milwaukee, you can pay three and half dollars for a beer; you can come here and get the $1.50 tap. I always enjoy going to a new place. Down in Milwaukee, my wife and I will drive 45 minutes just to try a new place."
This year, the family started at the Cruise-In in Wausau, a bar that hasn't been on the Jaeger Pub Crawl in the past. Bill is in charge of mapping out the stops. His wife, Nancy, jokes that they scout out possible locations for the pub crawl throughout the rest of the year.
In 2006, the family plans to do a "Best of" pub crawl with stops like Day's and the Hiawatha Lounge on the docket. Bill said he tries to get as many new bars as he can on the list each year, a venture that his brother, Pete, pointed out isn't too difficult around here.
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