The Rolla (Mo.) Daily News reports that the 4M Farms and Vineyards, owned by Marvin and Donna Rippelmeyer along old Route 66 near St. James, was burglarized Friday.
Unfortunately, it’s not the first time:
“We’ve been robbed four or five times at the Rosati Winery, we’ve been robbed three times here, three times at our house. We’re like this curse,” Donna said.
Not only did the burglars take thousands of dollars of 4M merchandise, but also products they sold for others on consignment. They even took donation jars for the local Humane Society.
The Ripplemeyers said they’ll likely be investing in security cameras in the near future. “We’re too little to take these kind of hits,” Donna said. “We’re not Wal-Mart. We were happy because we were so lucky this year. Now this.”
“They even took the dolly they used to load the stuff,” Marvin said.
I’m really saddened and angry to hear about this. We’ve bought grape pie from their roadside stand every fall, after the harvest comes in. It’s been a favorite stop for Route 66 travelers for many years, as this photo shows. The vineyards in that region have dated back more than 100 years — well before Route 66 was commissioned.
Bad karma. Bad enough that they stole from Mom and Pop, but the Humane Society? That guy’s cruising to have his butt kicked by a pack of ticked-off Chihuahuas.
This bugs me to no end. We stopped at 4M on our recent 66 trip, and the folks were nice as all heck. We got some grapes (some of the best I’ve ever had), and some of their fantastic grape juice, but I couldn’t talk the wife and daughter into getting a grape pie. (Perhaps next time)
Why someone has to do this to such decent people is beyond me.