Hungry for Hibbing

Donuts.  Fresh, delicious, glazed donuts in the case at Sunrise Bakery in Park Addition.  Mmmmmm. . .throw in an English toffee cookie and a fried apple pie and I am in baked good heaven.  Anyone there with me?

I ask because the other night I was making my casual rounds for keeping up on Hibbing in the social media world and I came across a post in Hibbing Trivia and Lore by a Hibbing ex-pat talking about longing for Sunrise glazed donuts and other Hibbing food-delights.  Of course this post sparked a flurry of comments branching off to a popcorn wagon and the current state of the bakery business, but it also meant that food was never far from my mind when thinking about Hibbing this past week.

Think about it.  Whether you’re celebrating or commiserating, getting ready to leave or returning home, food seems to be a consistent and defining element of these experiences.  Recently when I was a resident of Florida, I remember planning my limited trips back home to Hibbing.  First priority were the people I was going to see, coming in a close second was where and what I would be eating—because, quite frankly, they don’t have Bimbo’s pizza in Tallahassee and don’t even get me started on pasties.

I was clearly not alone in this experience as I noticed friends and acquaintances with Iron Range roots post to their Facebook profiles about having a Sammy’s pizza, or Rudi’s sub, or pancakes at Sportsmen’s during a trip home.  Of course comments would follow from those of us still far from The Range, usually along the lines of “ugh, jealous” or “Yum! My favorite!” or the ever hopeful “bring me back some!”

Now I am not going to launch into an extended lament about how people “never bring you back some” because I know it’s geographically ridiculous and when Rangers go home they have no obligation to feed the rest of us starving ex-pats longing for a taste of home.  Although if you are a clever entrepreneur that wants to perfect the art of food shipping and start a large scale delivery business, I am not getting in your way.  


In the meantime, I’m cherishing the opportunities I have to return to Hibbing to see the people and places I love and eat some delicious food that I can’t get anywhere else.

What is your favorite Hibbing food or eatery?

Note: For the record, I have already planned my first trip back to the North Country since the great Iowa excursion.  It will include a stop at old favorite Zimmy’s, new-kid-in-town Old Mexico, and recent favorite Rhythm Deli whose paninis are fantabulous.

I Remember When . . .

t’s been my experience that Hibbingites love history and have long memories.  People and places in this town are not merely what they are, but simultaneously what they used to be. 

A woman is not Jane Insert Married Name Here, but that plus the equally important used to be one of the Insert Maiden Name Here girls.  A house goes beyond matters of architectural style, current occupants, and street numbers; encompassing the wide range of everyone who has ever lived there and everything it has ever represented to generations of community members.  I remember driving through town with my dad as a kid (and as an adult for that matter) and listening to him point out and talk about various properties that used be grocery stores, or churches, or hangouts of different kinds.  We were looking at the same thing, but what we saw was completely different.  Somehow his long-gone version always seems more glamorous. 

Nostalgia.  Memories.  Back When I Was Your Age stories.  In many ways there is nothing particularly special about this.  The same could be said of many small towns where roots run deep.  But there is something about Hibbing that hangs on to the past with a stubborn tenacity I have not yet seen elsewhere.  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact the entire town was moved south to make way for an ever-expanding mine. 

So many places that hold precious memories for people have literally been obliterated.  Places where houses stood and hopscotch was played are now replaced with a gaping hole in the ground, traversed by giant dump trucks and other equipment.  The physical evidence is gone, so we must keep these memories alive through storytelling.  I love these stories whether they are tales from my father or an old family friend, or something a bit more formal like the Hibbing Trivia and Lore facebook group or the efforts of the Hibbing Historical Society. 

These stories anchor us and provide a sense of context and belonging to the bigger picture of Hibbing, but when do they become a force that limits our vision instead of expanding it?  By focusing so much on what is gone; do we lose sight of what is still here or what could be here?  Sometimes I think we do. 

What do you think? 

Stay tuned next week for further thoughts and discussion on “what is still or could be in” Hibbing.