"Zing boom tararrel, ring out a song of good cheer. Now's the time to roll the barrel, for the gang's all here."
Ah, "The Beer Barrel Polka." Old-school Milwaukee at its finest. And, Miller Park 7th inning stretch fun at its best.
Admit it, you love the word "tararrel."
How can't you? And, you love singing it even more and then saying, "What the heck is a tararrel?"
I get it, it rhymes with barrel. But, according to Wikipedia and other random Web resources, "tararrel" was something people would say in Europe in the 1930s. It's a source of pride, "Zing, boom, tararrel" -- a way of cheering for something you stand for and want to celebrate.
Anyway, now -- finally -- to the heart of this blog. Tararrel t-shirts! You need one and I want one. David Tuttle, one of the founders of Tararrel & Sons, LLC says, "The idea was hatched in the winter, just from e-mailing with some friends, and coming up ways to celebrate some of the things I have come to know and love about the Brewers, be it at County Stadium or Miller Park. Once there were several solid ideas on the table, I went work on the illustrations. Laborious at times, but I'm really happy with the results."
Tararrel & Sons sells three unique Brewers' related tees. The "tararrel," of course, a brat pack and a very funny Rob Deer themed shirt.
Tuttle continues, "'Tararrel," is that three-syllable solution to one of the best ballpark songs in the country. What else can you do in when you're in a pinch to rhyme with 'barrel?' The blocky, sans serif typeface from the 1980s seemed to be the best application for this time-honored lyric."
What about the Rob Deer tee?
"I had to honor the slugger that provided fans my age with so many thrills as kids. Certainly imperfect, but his moments of glory always overshadowed his foibles at the plate. He was always a favorite and this was the result. Deer always seemed like such a rare breed, so I used a rare Red Deer on the shirt," said Tuttle, who grew up in Fort Atkinson.
The tararrel (the more I write the word, the more I love it) tee and the others are good quality American Apparel tees that are soft and not too loose or too tight.
You need one of these t-shirts, especially for the pennant run. So, click below and buy early and often.
"Tararrel & Sons and the online retail operation is a first for me, so it's been a very hectic few weeks getting everything to come together. I'm excited that all the months of planning have been seen to fruition and now I can just have fun with it. There were no grand expectations, but I've been really thrilled by the response thus far," says Tuttle.
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.
