She saw the whole Shebang

Jun. 9—CULDESAC — From her perch behind the counter of Jacques Spur Junction Cafe along U.S. Highway 95 west of Culdesac, Jean Ballard had a spectacular view of the goings-on in the area.

For 12 years, from 1967-79, Ballard and her husband, Ralph, ran the cafe (now called Drover's Run), which also included a grocery store, gas pumps and a small living quarters.

"It was hard work but we fed harvest crews, we fed all the local farmers," Ballard said. The cafe was open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day and was famous for its fresh doughnuts, homemade pies and coffee.

Ballard, 87, will serve as the grand marshal of this weekend's Shebang Days celebration in Culdesac.

Born and raised in Chariton, Iowa, Culdesac was the last place Ballard thought she'd end up. Her husband enjoyed fishing and hunting, and one day the couple drove to Riggins to visit some friends.

"Unbeknownst to me, Tom (their friend) and Ralph took off and came up here and he put $400 down" as a downpayment on the cafe, Ballard said.

"I had worked in offices (in California) with high-heel shoes and a suit, and I thought, 'Oh, my God.'

"So we went back home and sold our place and loaded up a little camp trailer and hired some movers and came up here. I thought he'd killed me."

That year, an ice jam in the Clearwater River caused major flooding in the area, which only added to Ballard's worries about her new home. And she'd never run a restaurant before, although her mother had and Ballard loved to cook.

It didn't take long before the family fit right in, making friends and doing a brisk business with all kinds of local folks and tourists.

Her sons, Danny, who died two years ago, and Brian, who now lives in Virginia, were active in school sports, community activities and worked for farmers during the summer. Ralph was a champion trap shooter, competing around the world and eventually inducted into the Idaho Trapshooting Hall of Fame. Ralph died in 2006.

Brian also became a renowned trapshooter, participating in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

Jacques Spur was a popular eatery for the locals and often a stopover for famous people passing through.

The late Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus popped in frequently on his way to hunting camps near Orofino.

In 1975, during the filming of the movie "Breakheart Pass" in the area, Ballard got a visit from the actor Charles Bronson, asking for a glass of water.

It was a hot day, Ballard remembered, and Bronson asked for a glass to drink at the counter and a second paper cup full to take back to the set.

"And I said, 'Well, sure,' so I gave him the glass of water and turned around to get the paper cup and turned around and there was a dollar bill there. And I said, 'Oh, forget it. We just get the water out of that feedlot over there.' "

Bronson gave her a look of shock because he'd already downed his first glass of water and didn't realize she was joking. She later learned Bronson was fussy about his drinking water and wouldn't even touch the water in Lewiston — he had his drinking water flown in from California, she was told.

The cafe also was a favorite place for Idaho State Police patrolmen to drop by and the Ballards formed friendships with many of them.

One of the officers once kidded her about applying for a pilot's license, "because he said I had a lead foot."

Later she noticed that the officer had a burned-out taillight on his vehicle, so she wrote him out a ticket and sent it to him.

"We were always joking like that," she said.

The state police, however, often stayed close by and provided security whenever Ballard was closing up shop and carrying her cash box back to her home across Mission Creek Road.

After the Ballards sold the cafe, Jean Ballard worked at a number of businesses in Lewiston and continued to work until she was laid off last spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But that hasn't slowed her down — she continues to sew, knit and keeps a perfectly manicured lawn at her home on Mission Creek Road.

As grand marshal of Shebang Days, Ballard has been soliciting donations for the auction that will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday. All the money raised will go toward fixing up the town — possibly repaving Main Street. In the past, money from Shebang Days auctions have built a gazebo and helped the school construct tennis courts.

Ballard loves to travel and keeps busy, but would like to go back to work, although she doubts that will happen.

Culdesac "is home to me," she said. "I still have relatives in Iowa. They were here last year and they want me to move back because they're family. And they said: 'You have no family here.' And I said, 'Well, I have family friends. I have no grandchildren but everybody that has a teenager, I feel like I've raised them because they're very close to me.'"

Her son, Brian, added: "She's known all these families up and down this valley and in Culdesac for about three generations. So everybody in the community knows her."

Hedberg may be contacted at kathyhedberg@gmail.com or (208) 983-2326.

Culdesac Shebang Days

Saturday started at 7:30 a.m.

Events: Gem Community Fundraising Breakfast, 7:30 a.m.; Shebang Days Parade, 10:30 a.m.; tricycle races, 1:30 p.m.; live auction, 3 p.m.; food court; kids activities; entertainment; and more.