When Guy McCarty, the director of brewing at Rusty Rail, heard about the fire, he immediately knew he wanted to do something to help. Rusty Rail, he said, has a history of working together with Gilson Snow and has participated in the annual Snow Day event. “When we heard the news we were highly motivated to find a way we could help out,” said McCarty. “Gilson is a big supporter of local businesses and we have a history with (Gilson).” McCarty called the news of the fire “heartbreaking.” “Of course we wanted to support them,” he said.
Gilson Snow also had merchandise on sale including a special T-shirt, sweatshirts, snow boards, hats, jackets and more. Raffle tickets for prizes like a snowboard, a gift card for the Rusty Rail or a night in one of the Rusty Rail suites were also for sale. Guests were also treated to live music. Nick Gilson said he and the rest of the team have been “floored” by the outpouring of support.
“To have this event planned by (Vanessa) Venios and (Guy) McCarty, I think the intention was for us to all have the opportunity to gather, give the people on our team a hug and say goodbye to the old and prepare to usher in a new chapter,” he said. “In a moment like this, we are forced to step back and take stock of what we have created together. “ It is breathtaking how many people around the world care, and how many people want to be a part of the next chapter.”
One of those people include Van Wagner, of Danville, who performed live at the event, said he has been a big supporter of Gilson Snow for years. As an environmental science teacher, he and became good friends with Royer about a decade ago. “(Austin) did his student teaching with me at Lewisburg High School,” said Wagner. “He eventually left teaching to pursue Gilson snowboards full-time.”
Wagner said it makes him happy to see the way Gilson and Royer have embraced environmental responsibility and sustainability in their efforts. “I think it is so cool that they use Pennsylvania Poplar to make their snowboards,” he said. “By using trees from our forests, they are creating a product that provides jobs and promotes forestry. With proper stewardship, we can grow more trees and more snowboards.” Wagner said the company has also been kind enough to host his students for field trips to the factory.
“I wanted my students to see how these snowboards begin as a piece of poplar, lumber, and end as a beautiful work of art,” said Wagner. “Even though (Austin) Royer is no longer a schoolteacher, it is evident to me that he still makes educating young people a big part of his life.” Like many others, Wagner said he was sad to learn about the fire at the factory and he didn’t hesitate to perform Sunday.
“When I heard about this event, being held at Rusty Rail, I reached out to offer a musical performance,” he said. “I was honored that they accepted.” Brianne and Gretchen Crouteau of Lewisburg have been attending Gilson Summer Snow Days for years with their children.
“I met (Nick) Gilson at a small business networking event years ago,” said Brianne. “I have always appreciated the way they give back to the community. They take a lot of pride in Pennsylvania businesses, too.” Gretchen echoed those thoughts. “I think it’s important to support any small business, especially those in the Susquehanna Valley region,” she said.
Part of the reason for the rally was also to make an announcement about a new partnership moving forward. “Rusty Rail and Gilson Snow are going to be making a new beer together,” said Gilson. “We hope it will be at mountaintop resorts as well as other places this summer.” Collaboration hasn’t begun yet, but will soon.
In the meantime, Gilson said, the Gilson team will be working on building back stronger. “This is just such an amazing community,” he said. “We are so unbelievably thankful for this community. We are overwhelmed by the support.”
As for Wagner, he has no doubts Gilson will be back and stronger than before. “The people at Gilson are innovative, environmentally, minded, and resilient,” he said. “I know they will continue to make Gilson snowboards successful.”
