© 1999, Jean Martin

Juanita O'Leary: the force that made 'The Wheel' go 'round

The Wheel Inn remembered

For teens in the late 1950s and early ‘60s patronizing the Wheel Inn was not so much a choice as it was a necessity. Friday night football and basketball games were followed by school dances. These dances lasted until 11:30; and at that time of night the only way to keep the party going was to go to someone’s house — or the Wheel.

Burgers and pizza could be ordered at any time after the group was seated. If anyone at the table could not eat meat until after midnight, the food would not arrive until it could be enjoyed by everyone. This left plenty of time to continue the mild flirting that had begun at the dance. (Is he looking this way? He’s not! Is he really?)

In later years former classmates who could barely find their way around St. Johns anymore could still meet for breakfast at the Wheel. For others it had become a part of the warp and woof of their lives.

Families would make the Wheel Inn their unofficial headquarters. A standing invitation might be open to anyone within driving distance to meet every Sunday evening for supper at the Wheel. Toddlers straining to get out of high chairs would smile gleefully as they watched an aunt with her walker moving slowly past old friends in the booths.

The front door of the Wheel was always open. Sundaes after piano recitals may have become a family ritual. Later the Wheel became a good spot to take a break from the vigil at the hospital. Between the afternoon and evening visitations at the funeral home, there was a chance to grab a quiet bite to eat. Juanita and the girls knew exactly what was going on, and everyone knew that they knew. Patrons were free to talk about it or not as they pleased. After the funeral, sometimes the Wheel was the perfect place to entertain those few special guests the family really wanted to spend more time with.

Even occasional visitors from the St. Johns area would be hard-pressed to find a time when they could slip into the Wheel Inn unnoticed or unrecognized. If you are excited about something new and different, there will be someone on a stool who will grin along with you. If you are a little lonely and blue, someone in a booth will slide over and suggest that you need a cup of coffee and maybe one of those big cookies.

Are you on your way out of town? You probably should fortify yourself with a nice hot meal first. Do you need to network with a few people? Get a table at the Wheel; they’ll meet you there. Had a rough day at work? You’ll probably run into a few co-workers who would love to spend a few more minutes analyzing middle management’s utter failure, once again, to comprehend the obvious.

Over the years the Wheel Inn has become the place where, day or night, at least one or two people will probably know your name. And both you and they will always be glad you came.