Jenny Rooke and friends at Elderwood Jenny and Dave Rooke have operated Rookie's Root Beer from their home in Burlington's New North End since 2005. They sell soda almost exclusively on draft at restaurants and at the Burlington Farmers Market. After the pandemic torpedoed sales, the Rookes didn't have the capacity to revamp their distribution model to sell cans to stores or ship to customers. Shortly after "our world shut down," as Jenny put it, she received a gift from a girlfriend. It came with a note: "Sorry you just lost your business, but here's an inflatable dinosaur costume. I hope it brings some joy to your life." With little else to do, Jenny put on the costume and started walking up and down North Avenue carrying a sparkly sign that said, "Be kind. Stay safe."