Richard Shank
Columnist
The pundit who said rural America is lacking in good family restaurants and cafes has not been to Durham, Kansas to dine at the Mainstreet Café and Bakery.
Durham, located in Marion County 30 miles south of Abilene on Highway 15, is not untypical to many small rural towns and has experienced a loss in population during the past 30 years. The internet reports the town’s 2023 population at 96, but one of the locals jokingly told me that could be a stretch. Still, this tiny berg remains incorporated and continues to have a mayor and governing body of five city council members. From what I observed the café is a common meeting place for those who reside in the area.
Arriving in Durham at 11 a.m. March 6, I found this town’s downtown area filling up with cars and pickups and all were entering the Mainstreet Café and Bakery for a hearty noon meal. Mark and Kris Wiebe, owners of the Mainstreet Café and Bakery, were hard at work in the kitchen cooking and serving a near full house of customers, many of which came to order a Chicken Fried Steak, which was the cafe’s Thursday special.
A quick look around the restaurant by this first-time diner was proof they serve more than the traditional steak and hamburgers. A counter display of freshly baked pies was positioned to the south of the salad bar, strategically placed to tempt all who came for a noon meal, including yours truly. And, as the waitress pointed out, a dip of ice cream goes with the pie, an offer no eater should pass on. For this new customer, the cherry pie nudged out apple and the preferred choice. And, as a customer pointed out, the cafe’s baked bread is known far beyond the boundaries of Marion County.
Mark, in a short break from his chef duties, smiled as he said his greatest reward is meeting so many nice people every day. Observing the size of the crowd, the eaters all like his cooking as many were repeat or daily customers. “Occasionally, we accept a catering job and soon we will prepare a wedding dinner for 250,” Mark said. “At Thanksgiving time, we offer holiday meals to go.”
Kris said that although no specific date exists as to when the café first opened its doors for business, it is assumed it may have been more than 100 years ago, in the same location. The Wiebe’s have been owners for about five years. Mark grew up on a farm near Durham and Kris, growing up in Montezuma in the state’s southwest corner, took up residency after marrying Mark.
During the past several years, the café was expanded to the north where a meat shop and the town’s library were formerly located. Daily specials are written on a chalk board. Wall décor includes metal pictures of antique tractors and an antique display case exhibiting memorabilia from Durham High School, including a letter jacket. And, on this day, Kris pointed out the cafe’s original refrigerator which is still used.
Kris noted they frequently serve new customers, including this day. “Many customers drive from as far as Kansas City, Wichita and Salina to eat here,” Kris said.
And, Kris echoed Mark’s comments that she, too, enjoys the daily interaction with people.
Hours are Tuesday-Saturday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Friday evenings 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on the first Saturday of the month, diners can feast on a breakfast buffet from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Durham was founded in 1887 and was named after Durham cattle.
For Durham, 1963 holds a special memory for the town as the high school basketball team swept to a state championship in what was then called Class “Double B.” Galen Frick, a star on the championship team, went on to play for Dodge City Community Junior College, earning a spot in the school’s Sports Hall of Fame. Next, Kansas State Coach Tex Winter recruited him to play his junior and senior for the Wildcats where he was an above-average player in what was then the Big Eight Conference.
As a freshman on Solomon High School’s team in 1963, I vividly remember two losses we suffered to the opposing team from Marion County. We thought Durham could have competed with much larger schools in the metropolitan areas of Kansas. They were as good as it gets in that distant time.
For many years, signs on each end of town on Highway 15 proclaimed Durham as home of the 1963 State Championship Basketball Team; but, note the signage is now gone, which I found a little surprising.
Durham High School closed its doors many years ago and the community is now served by a Mennonite school located outside the city limits. I noted the high school located on the north edge of town looks abandoned but shiny new farm implements are parked in front of what was once the school.
Also, on a street to the south of the café, G&R Implement Company still markets some Oliver tractor parts, even though the last Oliver tractor rolled off the assembly line in 1976. On a drive by the business, I noted an Oliver sticker on a window, something very uncommon a half century after the company ceased business.
For this traveler who has, for several decades, driven the highway and byways of Kansas, there is nothing better at noon time than to pull up in front of a well-run cafe with good home cooked meals. Durham’s Mainstreet Café and Bakery meets that criterion in every aspect.
And Mark and Kris Wiebe are not only great cooks, but equally good hosts.
It is one of those places where customers say “we need to go back there again when we are in the area.”
