Moose Milk 43
A Huge Success
61 Rotarians celebrated the start of 2014 in the sacred tradition of Coral Gables Rotary Club - Moose Milk.
For those uninitiated few out there who may be asking exactly what is required to milk a moose, we can only tell you that you have to be there. Suffice to say that this year we went through 24 quarts of Moose Milk BEFORE 1:30!
Rotarians brought myriad volumes of food because, after all, this is your first meal of the year. It's gotta be something special, right? Well how do you feel about wild boar - cooked 16 hours and pulled to your liking? How about some stewed venison? Cajun chicken legs? Turkey Meatloaf? Bruce's Wings? The list goes on. And all of these things … every delicious morsel, is made that much better because you wash it down with Moose Milk.
We celebrated this year at the historic old home of Chris & Chris Tyson. Their lovely pool deck gives us plenty of room to mix with our fellow Rotarians, and their dining room table is just the right size for all of the wonderful food.
Scene Scenes
The Moose Milk Story
The year was 1972. Dr. Roger Mumm, a Coral Gables dentist and Rotarian, invited a few friends from the Club to stop by his place on NewYear’s Day to imbibe in the proverbial “hair of the dog.”
The story (as it was told to me) is, Cleve Allen, Jim Barker, Mel Greene, Bob Strawser, Ed Swan and several others showed up at Roger’s with serious expectations about their “condition” on New Year’s morning. As promised, Roger provided them the perfect cure for what ailed them ... Moose Milk and plenty of food. Apparently, by the time the Bowl Games started, Roger’s wife had to call for help to get the fellows moving again!
And so began the tradition of Moose Milk. You eat, you drink a little milk, you eat some more and then drink a little more. By the time the games come on, you’re ready for a nap, usually around 2 p.m. The party grew in popularity. The recipe remains a “secret” still today. Finally wives were invited - apparently because designated drivers were needed to get the guys home safely!
As the years passed, special napkins, name tags and all kinds of other novelties were created to commemorate this annual party. There was even a “special moose.” Roger retired and moved upstate but he donated the “party favors” to the club to be used at the last Moose Milk party he attended, at the home of Terry & Emil Claus in 1997.
Now, 43 years later, Moose Milk has become our most popular club party. It’s the way Coral Gables Rotarians start off every New Year - together - in fellowship - eating too much good food and milking the moose till he (or we) drops.
It has been said, you cannot call yourself a Coral Gables Rotarian unless and until you have consumed your portion of the magic brew. All Red Badgers must attend to complete your Rotary education!
The story (as it was told to me) is, Cleve Allen, Jim Barker, Mel Greene, Bob Strawser, Ed Swan and several others showed up at Roger’s with serious expectations about their “condition” on New Year’s morning. As promised, Roger provided them the perfect cure for what ailed them ... Moose Milk and plenty of food. Apparently, by the time the Bowl Games started, Roger’s wife had to call for help to get the fellows moving again!
And so began the tradition of Moose Milk. You eat, you drink a little milk, you eat some more and then drink a little more. By the time the games come on, you’re ready for a nap, usually around 2 p.m. The party grew in popularity. The recipe remains a “secret” still today. Finally wives were invited - apparently because designated drivers were needed to get the guys home safely!
As the years passed, special napkins, name tags and all kinds of other novelties were created to commemorate this annual party. There was even a “special moose.” Roger retired and moved upstate but he donated the “party favors” to the club to be used at the last Moose Milk party he attended, at the home of Terry & Emil Claus in 1997.
Now, 43 years later, Moose Milk has become our most popular club party. It’s the way Coral Gables Rotarians start off every New Year - together - in fellowship - eating too much good food and milking the moose till he (or we) drops.
It has been said, you cannot call yourself a Coral Gables Rotarian unless and until you have consumed your portion of the magic brew. All Red Badgers must attend to complete your Rotary education!
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