IF ONLY I HADN’T JUST EATEN a picnic lunch, I would have ordered a bag of mini donuts from Kelash’s Corner Food Truck in Gilman. But I wasn’t hungry. Even though I really really really wanted donuts, one of my favorite fair food sweet treats, I stood strong. I shouldn’t have. Life is too short not to occasionally cave to cravings. Especially at my age.
If I lived in or near Gilman, I could pop in at Kelash’s Corner for not only those coveted donuts and other food, but also for garden fresh vegetables and whatever goods twin sisters Ann and Amy Kelash sell at their seasonal business.
My stop was brief, yet long enough to appreciate this home-grown corner set-up of food truck, vegetable/merch stand with a party wagon to boot.
The “SMALL TOWNER” tees with grain bin graphics caught my eye given my rural roots. Had the town name of Gilman not been printed on the shirts, I might have bought one. Gilman, located five miles north of Foley off Minnesota State Highway 25, definitely fits the definition of small town with a population of about 220. There’s not a whole lot here, but enough. Catholic church. Municipal liquor store. Bank. Post office and city hall. Gas station and auto body shop. Co-op creamery and feed store. And maybe more, but not much more.
It’s the type of small town most would pass by without stopping. I’ve always mostly just passed through as a shortcut route to my husband’s childhood farm, no longer in the family. This trip we were in the area for Randy’s 50th class reunion, aiming for a drive by the Buckman Township farm site, then on to Buckman and Pierz. We hadn’t planned on stopping in Gilman. But then I spotted Kelash’s Corner.
When I see a place like this, I feel compelled to document it with my camera…because I love one-of-a-kind/home-grown/small town spots. They are grassroots appealing. I’m a person who always chooses a local eatery over a chain restaurant, who likes small town bakeries, who finds roadside stands Norman Rockwell charming.
My stop in Gilman was periphery really—a few photos snapped and a quick glance at a town rooted in rural. I watched as a pick-up truck pulled a wagon of hay bales through town. I noticed the fading sign of the former Ball Park Pizza. I spotted a sign advertising farm fresh brown eggs for $3/dozen.
I spent the most time at Kelash’s Corner, perhaps subconsciously because of those mini donuts. The ones I should have purchased…
© Copyright 2024 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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