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Show UBIC Grand Marshall-Marion AAortn;n of E?oosvelf -TldonRachele Virion Mortensen, 86, reigned as ' 'and marshall of the UBIC !lebration in Roosevelt this past week A although she has been retired J"ce 1969 as owner of Marion's Varie-V Varie-V generations of children will always i Member her as the lady behind the 1 candy counter. Xhe country of Denmark is Marion Mortensen's birth place. She was ac-mpanied ac-mpanied by her brother, Walter, to L United States. She first located in Ephriam, then Ogden, later Price and finally Roosevelt. Marion arrived in the Uintah Basin 1933 and set up a concession stand ,1 Fort Duchesne during the UBIC J celebration. She began her business by establishing a small bakery and ice a cream parlor where Ladd's Floral now stands. She was also the first florist in the area. She moved her business in 1934 to the i corner now occupied by Modern Drug ! and Sathers. Marion expanded into groceries and general merchandise and the popular penny candy. Marion bought the building, which Marion's Variety now occupies, in 198. She also operated the eight-room hotel above. She retired in 1969 after 36 years of business. Eldon Mortensen, I a nephew, ana wue veraa rnae now operate the business. "I bought the building in October of 11X3 and we featured all kinds of general merchandise. A person could find almost anything they wanted. We had about anything anyone wanted as mil as a soda "fountain and lunch ser-rice," ser-rice," stated Marion Mortensen. Marion added, "Our barbecue hamburger ham-burger was the main thing. It was something a little different. We started serving it between 1943 and 1945. We had a good recipe and decided to try it and people liked it. It has been a popular item over the years and many people would like to buy the sauce. We fry the hamburgers and then place them in the sauce. Anothpr popular item has been our spaghetti soup. It's my own recipe and we started serving itin 1945. They love that spaghetti and they know we have it every Tuesday," When asked what makes for a good hamburger, Marion remarked, "Just good hamburger and no substitutes." "The days of penny candy are over with because they are 2 cents now," said Marion. "The children were good tome. I loved all of them who came in here. They would get on the step below the candy counter and look for I along time through the glass before they bought anything. Children have grown up with the place. I appreciate j. Vernal and Roosevelt people who have j been customers at Marion's Variety the past 50 years." Her nephew Eldon Mortensen began Z working at Marion's Variety in 1939 as a summertime job. He was in the j military service for two years and y returned to Roosevelt in July of 1947 aid has been in Roosevelt ever since, v HemarriedVerdaMaeSchultzinl951. "The barbecue hamburger was call- withe 'Marion burger' by radio disc-jockey disc-jockey Fred Brown. Marion's sister gave her the recipe and the three of us (Marion, Eldon and Verda Mae) are f Hie only ones who know the recipe. Good fresh meat everyday makes for A Jgood hamburger," said Mortensen. M When asked the number of ham-7 ham-7 gers he has cooked over the years, Mortensen stated, "It would be tons. M "e quit counting after the 1000th one." f Marion's Variety features a long old-A old-A fashioned counter with little round j stools. Generations of children grew up on epenny candy, which was a popular lle"i at Marion's Variety. "When I ame here in 1939 a child could get five P'eces of candy for a penny and three "tf fleces of candy for one cent. Large JT suckers were 2 for 1 cent. Now large 7 ersare 40 cents and penny candy "? 1 cents and 3 cents. There was such vanety- Marion had a table as long counter with boxes and boxes J , mny candy and loose candy. The I J?1 s'rawberry fish is a really IJWar candy today," said Eldon j 2 nSen- "Comic books soId for 5 V cam V cents-and 10 cents when I first selj!ehere and now the 10 cent books j( " lor $1-50 and $2.00. The price of the A cenuCbooks f today avera8e 60 Mrtensen added, "A bottle of pop sold for 10 cents and now it sells for 40 cents or 50 cents. Years ago in the early ear-ly 1940's when pop was bottled by Larsen Bottling Company they had a large assortment of flavors. They had orange pineapple, black cherry, lime and lemon soda, red raspberry, lime - i i , . ricky and chocolate soda. "We were buying quarts of milk from a local milk man in 1939 and 1940 and it retailed for 15 cents. Ten cents of the 15 cents was for a deposit on the bottle. It cost more for the bottle than for the milk." f ' V ' . , ....... ""S! ; ! ! V x , , 1 - I MARION MORTENSEN reigned as the grand marshall for the UBIC celebration this past week. Marion celebrated her 50th anniversary of opening her first business in Roosevelt. I'5" 'U - ) -; ' v ' S V -i. 7 . ': . 4 - x - t : .- - H?. , . 1 f I u r s lw; J -. . - Y 1 . - v...' A ANOTHER CHEESEBURGER is ready for a hungry customer and performing the frying job are present Marion's Variety owners, Eldon and Verda Mae Mortensen. Eldon has been cooking hamburgers at Marion's Variety since 1939. The UBIC's grand marshall, Marion Mortensen, opened open-ed her first business in Roosevelt in 1933. |