‘Celebrity’ bartenders prove fame unnecessary to fill tip jars [Opinion]

If you’ve ever been at a bar when drink orders are coming in faster than they can go out, you know how demanding the job of a bartender can be.

Like any occupation, the good ones make it look effortless.

For the 12th year, Reading Public Library put untrained bartenders behind the bar at Saucony Creek Franklin Station Brewpub, just a few blocks from the main branch. The May 20 Celebrity Bartender fundraiser broke another record, pulling in about $30,000 for the library.

That’s an impressive total, considering no actual celebrities were pouring pints or mixing cocktails. If you were hoping to spot Jerry Seinfeld, Ben Stiller, Taylor Swift or Timothée Chalamet, you needed to be at Madison Square Garden, where the biggest names in entertainment have been showing up courtside during the New York Knicks’ championship run.

Instead, attendees got Izzy Gonzalez, a local real estate broker and co-owner of Atlas Land and Homes; Kaitlin Daley, a Berks County assistant district attorney; Peter Rye, board chair and chief strategy officer of Brentwood Industries Inc.; and Sabrena Elmarzouky, owner of Queens’ Cafe in Spring Township.

Not exactly household names — but that wasn’t the point.

The point, Daley told me, was to get people to come out with their wallets to support the guest bartenders — their friends, co‑workers, or family members and others — and have a good time while backing a good cause.

I asked Daley how she ended up behind the bar.

“They asked,” she said. “I go to the event every year.”

She’s been a guest bartender for three years — the same amount of time she’s served on the Reading Public Library Board of Trustees.

“I’m just helping out because I feel passionate about the library,” said Daley, now the board president. “So, for me, it was an easy yes.”

Saucony Creek pairs the guest bartenders with the brewpub’s professional staff, who can troubleshoot payment processing and keep things moving when the crowd gets thick.

“It’s hectic and chaotic, but it’s a lot of fun,” Daley said.

One of the things she likes most is that people of limited means can still participate. It’s not a ticketed event, so anyone can stop in, grab a drink, and contribute whatever they’re comfortable giving.

The timing helps, too — 5 to 8 p.m., with a spread of appetizers — making it easy for people to swing by after work without committing their whole evening.

“We raised money up to and through this event,” Daley said. “The goal was $15,000, and we raised a little over $30,000.”

Daley’s day job involves prosecuting criminal cases, but for one night a year she trades the courtroom for the barroom — and customers, she said, tip generously because they know exactly where the money is going.

Still, she added with a grin, her pours aren’t too shabby.