Loss of a Legend - From My Window

By Jane Thibodeau Martin,

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Trivia:  What Marinette County legend suffered an untimely demise on Sept. 5, 2014?

On a recent weekend, I started to think about something that made me+ hungry and sad, at the same time.  It was Sunday, and in some remote corner of my brain, a memory of the second most legendary chicken dinner I ever ate popped into my mind.  I think every person my age in Marinette County would remember Shaffer Park Supper Club; and the huge, wonderful chicken dinners that made it famous.

The dinners featured a nice relish tray, dinner rolls, four big pieces of chicken, choice of potato, good coleslaw, and I seem to remember windmill cookies for dessert, although my memory on that may be wrong.  There was something special about the chicken – instead of the breading breaking and falling off as you ate it, the coating adhered tightly to the chicken, imparting a strongly salty flavor.  This was not a healthy meal, but it was really good.  Most diners took home a leftover bag; especially if they ordered the popular side dish of gizzards and livers.  (I think you could also order a dinner entrée of just gizzards and livers.)

The place was wildly popular all year round, the building perpetually surrounded by a thick mix of cars and snowmobiles even in winter – there was no “slow season” there.  Its popularity led to the second thing most people remember it for – the wait.  The chicken production was limited by available equipment.  So you ordered from the bar or a lounge table, from a lady with a sparkly nametag with a martini on it; and enjoyed a drink or numerous drinks while waiting for your chicken to make it through the backup in the kitchen.  Sometimes your first achievement would be noticing a spot at the bar or a lounge table being vacated where you could swoop in and stake out a place to sit, but standing around waiting for that luxury could be an hour or more all by itself.

Many came well before serving time started, to get a table; and then hauled out the cards they brought with them and started a sheepshead or smear marathon.  May as well make the best of what would be a lengthy wait.

The third thing I remember about this restaurant is how many people who frequented it hit a deer on their way there, or after leaving.  Those county highways between the Marinette/Peshtigo area and the super club, or the equally hazardous small township roads for those coming from “their shack” were loaded with deer.

A grand slam visit to Shaffer’s would be 1) a seat at the bar on arrival for your party; 2) a wait of less than 90 minutes for your food and 3) no car-deer accident enroute there or home.  Few achieved this grand slam more than once or twice in a lifetime.

We didn’t go there when I was a little girl….while we kids c--ould tolerate the wait by running around outside by the river in the warmer months; my father was unable to cope with the lengthy delays for food.  (Those of you who knew my dad will instantly know what I mean.)

When I was a young adult Shaffer’s was a popular run on weekday evenings after work, when it would be a tiny bit less crowded.  There was a term for making a trip there on a weekend – a crude term I won’t share here but an observation risking such a trip was a “brassy” move, to use a euphemism.

We were living in Oklahoma for 18 years starting in 2000, but once during that lengthy time Mike and I were able to sneak up there to see if the chicken was as good as we remembered….yup.  Not a thing different.  Still excellent-still a long wait.

I was sad when I saw in the Peshtigo Times that the place was seriously damaged in a fire.  Mike and I were so glad we’d made time to visit there once more.

We have one good chicken place not far from our current house, but while the chicken is worth the trip, the sides are nowhere near as good as Shaffer’s.

And for those of you who wonder what my #1 legendary chicken place is, it is “Eischen’s” in tiny Okarche, Oklahoma.  It was recently featured as one of the top four in the United States in AARP magazine.  Besides excellent chicken, it is the oldest bar in Oklahoma, (1896,)  and believe me, both inside and outside, it looks like the oldest bar. Shaffer’s was a palace compared to this place.  The tables are covered with brown paper, and you don’t order by piece; you order an entire chicken.  No sides come with it, you order deep-fried okra separately, no potato sides are available. (Can you imagine, no French fries?)  I highly recommend it for the atmosphere alone if you are ever passing through Oklahoma. Extreme waits, deer or snowmobiles are not part of the experience in Okarche.
 

ONG THAT IMPRESSED ME:  The classy, stripped-down country version of the national anthem sung by Chris Stapleton at the Super Bowl.  Usually performed by a female singer who displays amazing vocal abilities, this version put the focus on the song.  He nailed it, and I loved the guitar.   I am not a big country music fan, but well done, sir!

17th CENTURY NUN’S PRAYER:  Kind reader “Rachel” informs me that many sources attribute this essay to St. Teresa of Avila, and she included a couple links giving this saint the credit.  Thank you, Rachel!
You can reach me for commentary, alternative viewpoints or ideas at this e-mail address:  JanieTMartin@gmail.com