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Friday, March 21, marked the third baseball game of the season for George Rogers Clark High School’s baseball team. 

However, it was recognizable for more than just the seven innings that were played. 

Ale-8 Night was celebrated at GRC’s baseball field, with staff from the bottling company in attendance. 

“This was very exciting to be able to come and do this,” said Ale-8-One Bottling Company Community Outreach Manager Sheila Frye, who also threw out the ceremonial first pitch. “This is my hometown…this is super important to us.” 

Frye was joined by others, including Melissa Fish, a marketing professional and receptionist for Ale-8-One Bottling Company.

One of the hallmarks of Winchester, along with beer cheese and more, Ale-8 is a ginger and citrus-flavored soft drink that comes in several varieties. 

Bottled for nearly 100 years, it began expanding beyond Kentucky in the 1920s and has picked up a following in places such as Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and more. 

The company has been involved with Clark County Public Schools. 

“We talked to the superintendent several months ago…and we wanted to participate somehow with the community and didn’t really know where to begin,” Frye said. “We all sat down and came up with…[donating] for [the] Clark County County Public Schools system.” 

Such donations have been used for causes such as supporting concession stands, fall festivals, Teacher Appreciation Day, and more. 

The donations even directly impact the baseball team in positive ways. 

“They were able to go out and buy new uniforms for boys baseball,” Frye added. “They put our logo on the side. It made us very happy, and it’s been a great community [with] everybody helping out.” 

Celebrating alongside staff from Ale-8-One were members of Clark County Public Schools including GRC Principal Luke Toy, Assistant Principal Chad Luhman, Athletic Director Terry Yeast, CCPS Chief Operations Officer Brandon Watkins, and CCPS Chief Academic Officer and Assistant Superintendent Kelly Fithen. 

Frye noted that the organization shows no signs of slowing down. 

“We will…keep on doing the donations for as long as we can,” she said.