Wade's Cafe, Weldon Corner, Weldon IA

WADE, EMARY, ELLIS, NISH, BEASLEY, FOLAND

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 7/13/2015 at 20:47:12

Osceola Sentinel-Tribune
Osceola, Clarke County, Iowa
Thursday, July 16, 2009

'Tales from the Aisles'
By Mickey Thomas

Wade’s Café, soon to be internationally famous

Wade’s Café at the Weldon corners was a major filming location for the movie, “Peacock,” which premières at the Canadian Film Festival in September prior to release to theaters. The movie producers leased Wade’s Café last summer for a week, filming café scenes day and night. Wade’s Café was selected as a filming site because the café has essentially remained unchanged since the 1960’s, the time period for the movie. The café’s ice cream machine was purchased in that era. Jeff Wade says, “Our ice cream is better because it does not have so much air.”

“Peacock” stars Helen Davis as a waitress, and Kelley Murphy as a male recluse with a split personality who poses as a female waitress. The name, Wade’s Café, is used in the movie scenes. The production staff consisted of people from all over the country. A cast member asked Jeff, “What are those tall gray round things?” She was pointing at the grain storage bins near Wade’s Café. Movie scenes were also filmed at Lorimar and Greenfield.

In the 30’s, 40’s, and early 50’s, gas stations and cafes dotted the roadside along. U. S. Highway 69, the main artery between Minneapolis, Des Moines, and Kansas City. Gas tanks only held about 10 gallons. Our information about the Weldon corners begins in 1946, after Sport Wade, father of Jeff Wade, returned from military service in World War II. Sport Wade hauled gravel in his old truck to the Phillips Petroleum station and cafe at the U.S. Highway 69 exit to Weldon. Phillips hired Sport to sell and haul petroleum products on a commission basis using their tank truck. The opportunity arose for Sport to buy the Phillips facilities. Bill Emary loaned Sport Wade the money to buy the Phillips facilities.

Sport Wade incorporated in 1956. He leased the station cafe to Leonard “Skinny” Hembry so he could concentrate on distributing petroleum products. The next lessees were Ollie and Gerdie Ellis. Their daughter, Letha Nish, remembers that the café and station were open 24 hours a day as a truck stop. The diesel pumps were behind the café, which was named the Red Rooster. Sam Ellis, who lives at Rochester, Minn., still has the Red Rooster sign. In the middle 60’s, Sport Wade took over the café and station management to help cover college expenses for his sons Jamie, John, and Jack. Sport Wade also owned one of the two gas stations in Weldon. The other station belonged to Beasley’s.

Sport Wade died [November 04] 1979 at age of 56. His wife, Helen Wade, died [August 5] 1999. Jeff Wade and his wife, Martha Wade, and their son Shawn Wade, now own Sport Wade Inc. They changed their petroleum affiliation to Sinclair because Phillips mandated that their dealers convert to convenience store stations. Sport Wade Inc. owns Sinclair stations in Osceola and Leon. Sport Wade Inc, distributes gasoline, diesel, propane, dry fertilizer, and anhydrous ammonia. They also do custom farming, grain hauling, and apply dry fertilizer and anhydrous ammonia.. In addition, they farm several thousand acres that they own and lease.

Wade’s Café is open Monday through Friday. 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is the social hangout for the “locals”. Coffee is 25 cents with all the refills you want. Customer Darrell Foland says, “It’s not Starbucks.” There is a cartoon on the café wall illustrating old men sitting around a table drinking coffee. The cartoon caption says, “They meet every morning trying to think of someone’s name.” Fran Ellis is the waitress, cook, and dish washer. She has worked at the Wade’s Café for 25 years.

NOTE: Glendal William "Sport" Wade was born on August 08, 1922. Helen Berniece Wade waas born on February 2, 1924. Sport and Helen were interred at Hebron Cemetery, Clarke County, Iowa.

Photograph, transcription and note by Sharon R. Becker, July of 2015

Decatur Documents maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen