Monday, July 29 the Primer Timers will travel to Breeze, IL to the Excel Bottling Company to go on a tour and hear about its exciting origin. In 1936, Edward, “Lefty” Meier received a reward for catching a bank robber. He used his reward to purchase a used bottling machine. Using his wife’s grandmother’s house, they have expanded into a bottling plant. Excel is one of the few independent family bottlers in the nation. The bus will leave at 10 am. After our tour, we will have lunch at PJ’s Diner.