Hyrum Candy Cabin making memories for children

Hyrum youth council members Kaelee Ward and Abi Heinider work with the Shelly family, Sawyer and Landon with their mother Kaitlyn. The cabin is a busy place this summer.

Walking into the Candy Cabin in Hyrum is like a trip back to the mid 1800’s. At least that was the vision Hyrum mayor Stephanie Miller had when she brought two early cabins from residents’ yards to a spot adjacent to the Hyrum Library.

Hyrum Mayor Stephanie Miller checks the candy inventory. She has been ordering candy for the store when she was a city council woman.

“I brought the cabins in when I was a member of the city council,” she said. “It was 2010; we were working on the Hyrum Sesquicentennial. I wanted something that would last. I was also on a committee to do the 50 years in history.”

Miller said while she was working on the Hyrum history, people she talked to remembered finishing up their chores and riding their bikes to Hyrum Drug to buy candy.

I wanted to create the same kind of memories for our children,” she said. “We brought the cabins in 2010 and began to restore them.”

It took a couple of years to restore the log buildings. Past city administrator Brent Jensen and his wife Geri were a big help with the project.

She said her idea was to have it look like you were stepping back in time. After they were restored with period antiques, the candy store opened. The old cash register was used in the original Saltair, which opened in 1893. There is a big banner in the Candy Cabin, painted by Maurice Wiberg, with Hyrum General Store panted on it. He used the same lettering that would have been used during the 1860’s.

When the Candy Cabin is open, family after family crowds into the store to buy sweets.

The one cabin was an original log home from the Old Hyrum Fort. The people that owned it were generous enough to give the city the building and some of the materials that were in it.

Miller said she ordered the candy the first year it opened. She has continued to order it, even after becoming mayor.

“We advertised it a little and business started to pick up,” she said. “Moms started bringing their kids and it grew.”

The city buys they candy and the Candy Cabin is staffed by the members of the Hyrum Youth Council. The youth council members work for free, but their hours are recorded. At the end of the year, they take the money they would have earned and use it for service.

The Candy Cabin in Hyrum is set up not only as a place to buy sweets but it is also a place that shows early Hyrum history.

“We let the Youth Council know how much was earned and they buy a park bench, Christmas for a  family, and one year they helped someone with a heart transplant.

“It all goes back to the city in some way,” the mayor said.

This year, the mayor thought she bought enough for the whole season based on what they sold last year.

“This year, since we opened June 3, I’m on my fourth order,” the mayor said. “And we are only open three days a week form 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

Miller has opened the Candy Cabin up for special things like family reunions.

“The Hyrum Youth Council usually makes $1,000-$2,000 a year,” the mayor said. “The prices are low; we are not trying to make money.”

Allyson Crowshaw, of Hyrum, said she tries to take her children a couple of times a month to the candy cabin.

Hyrum Mayor Stephanie Miller brought in a lot of period items to give the cabin a historical feeling.

“We usually have to wait in line, it is so crowded,” she said “but it’s cheap candy.”

Some of the children could hardly see over the counter, but were slapping their money down with their order.

Kaitlyn Shelly said she walks over to the Candy Cabin with her children, because she lives close and it’s just a short walk.

Miller said the idea was meant to be fun, let them see Hyrum as it once was and create lasting memories.

 

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3 Comments

  • Dorrie Barnes June 19, 2019 at 9:35 pm Reply

    What a wonderful idea, and how generous all the people involved were to donate so much time, energy, cabins, etc. to make something so fun for people to come visit! I can hardly wait to bring my grandchildren from River Heights and Millville.

  • Linda schoss June 20, 2019 at 8:08 am Reply

    Could you tell me days and times candy cabin is open? Some of the articles state different times

  • Linda schoss June 20, 2019 at 8:10 am Reply

    Could you tell me days and times candy cabin is open?

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