Eat Shop Memories

Eat Shop memories from 2003 Memory Lane Event

Lucille Ryan
Kelly Ryan Equipment was located on Front Street. She would walk across the alley to the Eat shop on Washington Street. Eat Shop was owned by Dick Nelson-known for the chili-just kind of kept one pot going all winter. 1950s and early 1960s Kelly Ryan owned a newspaper called Washington County Review Herald.

Emmet Rogert
Eat Shop owner Dick Nelsen would give away a “nip” of whiskey in the 1950s. “You had to pay for it.”

Margaret Jipp Snyder
Eat Shop was the place for kids to go in Blair. Mayor Snyder. People were married (?) from the Eat Shop. She met Tony Snyder in 1955 at the Eat Shop and later married him. Tony loved the chili. Pilot Tribune was on Main Street in 1953. Located where Advance Cleaners is now situated. She was a go-fer (?).

Dick Lippincott
Eat Shop was owned by Ed Rand in 1920s-30s then Clarence King then Dick Nelson. It was a meeting place. King was an “operator” and had a dance hall on Highway 75. Reronteltto Huny (sp?) in the middle of the dance hall. Dances every Saturday and sometimes on Wednesday. Laurence Welk played there. King- 2 different people said they needed money for a flight late at night and got it from King. He owned a softball diamond and a miniature golf course. King was a gambler, liked to roll the dice for double or nothing. King had a farm next to the now golf course north of the creek. He fed cattle. Died from an operation. King’s wife, Anna, worked for Arndt Hardware as a bookkeeper. King made malts.

Ardee and Jim Pounds
1930s Eat Shop was the first place in town that was air conditioned. That and the movie theatre. 1940s had a pinball machine, would close and people would stay and relax after hours. Had hamburgers that were good. Owned by Dick Nelson. Dick bought it after he got out of the service. King owned the bowling alley above “HunTel” building (Lot 16) on 16th and Washington.