Future of iconic 75-year-old Cape Breton chip wagon in limbo after owner dies
The street corner where the iconic Glace Bay, N.S. chip wagon has sat for decades is empty, and it will remain that way for the foreseeable future after the man who kept it running for so many years died Oct. 10 following a battle with cancer. He was 67.
"Mike's passion for the wagon goes beyond any words. Next to his family, that was his life," said Brian Shaw, a family friend of late chip truck owner Mike Yorke and his wife Marielle.
Shaw said he was always amazed at the dedication Yorke had not only to serving the perfect box of fries but to the upkeep of his 1942 vintage truck, which still has most of its original parts and features.
It all made for a throwback experience that was a must for locals and people visiting back home.
"They came to the chip wagon with their sleeping bags still in their vehicle because they wanted a box of fries," Shaw said. "That was the first thing they wanted when they got back to Cape Breton. That's how iconic it is."
Glace Bay-Dominion MLA John White said when he heard of Yorke's passing, he knew it might mean the loss of two community institutions: the wagon itself, and the man he describes as its beating heart.
"When you go to Boston, you have to go to Cheers, for example," White said.
"When you come to our area, it's the Miner's Museum, it's Dominion Beach, it's Savoy Theatre and it's the chip wagon."
White said for Yorke, the chip wagon was a labour of love.
"I don't think the chip wagon was a business for Mike," White said. "I think it was a social event. Whenever you came down here and order your chips, you had to wait around a bit while they were cooked up. If he was cooking them, he was reaching out talking to you. If he wasn't, he was on the outside of the wagon talking to people."
The chip wagon came to Glace Bay from Montreal in 1946. Many who were customers as kids have returned over the years with their own children and grandchildren.
Now, some are now wondering if this may be the end of the line for this 'mom and pop' style business.
It's like trying to live without a heart," Shaw said.
"Mike was the heart of that chip wagon and the soul. So I really don't see anybody else being able to do what he did."
"I hope they can pick it up and keep it going, I really hope they do," White added.
"I'd be here to help them with whatever they could get going. I'd love to see them keep it in the family and keep it going."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.