by Wayne Watts, publisher

They gathered at noon and other parts of the day. Famous for baked potatoes. That is just one of the things that people remember about the lady who ran the Snack Shack in the Ward Mall, uh, Chisholm Mall. Many of us still remember the Mall in its heyday, with Montgomery Ward on the south end as an anchor store and Woolworth on the north end, and Herb Jones Supermarket on the far north end of the sprawling retail location. And, don’t forget Star Pharmacy in the middle.
 But maybe the longest continuously running business in the mall was Irene’s Snack Shack and her famous Baked Potatoes.
 Clara “Irene” Whitworth passed away last year at the age of 85. She ran the food court at Duncan’s Mall for 29 years from 1993 to 2022. She served all of her customers with a special smile. And of course those baked potatoes.
 The meatloaf was excellent as well as the peach cobbler. And, just about anything else that you could want.
 She didn’t get a very ceremonious send-off when she passed last year, so some distant family and friends want to make up for it. A memorial ceremony will be held on Saturday in her food court. A beautiful plaque has been prepared that will hang close to the serving counter there to remind folks that Irene was ‘Queen of the Court’ in Duncan’s Mall.
 Granma Sarah now runs the little kitchen but still serves up Irene’s famous potatoes, baked of course. And she will have some on hand on Saturday, just in case you would want to stop by and reminisce a little.
 From 11 am to 2 pm, enjoy some refreshments and pick up a copy of Irene’s Famous Baked Potato Recipe. You might just be able to make them yourself.