Sunday News, November 02, 2008

   EL DORADO – The sign is rusted, the building is aging rapidly, but the packed parking lot and the sweet scent of freshly fried bread at Spudnuts, 810 W. Faulkner, remain visible evidence that the decades-old shop is still thriving - so much so, in fact, that it now has its own fan club on social networking site Facebook.
   Nearly 300 people from across the nation have joined "El Dorado, Arkansas, Spudnuts Fanatics," a club established by El Dorado native Jeff Mullins about a month ago.
   Mullins, a Dallas attorney who resides in Plano, Texas, "loves El Dorado," said his mother, Glenna Wynne.
   "The job situation took him there, but he does love El Dorado and comes home often," Wynne said. "Jeff says he has connected with people that he has lost track of back in high school almost 20 years ago."
   And of course, he’s connected with a few others, too, thanks to the delicious goodness of Spudnuts. From Philadelphia to Fort Worth, the U.S. to Israel, the number of Spudnut-lovers continues to grow at a phenomenal pace, with some "fanatics" writing to share their fondest memories of the little shop.
   Former resident Matt Macchiarolo, of Detroit, Mich., wrote, "Ahh ... no Saturday bus trip to a marching contest was compete without a stop to grab a sack of Spudnuts.
   "I remember having jam sessions at the Spudnut Shop with David Varnell after hours when his dad owned it; we got so sick on day-old spudnuts. But we could turn our amps up as loud as we wanted."
   And Taja "T.J." Davis wrote from Philadelphia Biblical University, "Not one person here knows about the amazing Spudnut. I haven’t had one in such a long time. I really miss them! And Krispy Kremes are okay, but I’ll stay loyal to my amazing glazed Spudnut and orange juice!"
   And from Daytona Beach, Fla., Tina Barnes Budd wrote, "I was there a few years ago. It was Saturday morning, and just as I remember, the line was out the door! The place hasn’t changed a bit. Same smell, same tables and chairs, same orange trays. I got the spudnut holes - less calories! Ha!"
   And that, said Mullins, is what Spudnuts is all about - great donuts and great hometown memories.
   "If you look at who the members are, some people will put where they’re from, and from what I can tell, it looks like the people who are members of the group are from 26 different states, and there’s someone who purports to be in Israel," said Mullins. "I think that’s one of the neat things about that group, is to see how people have gone all over the nation, and they still have that love and that memory of Spudnuts."
   But ultimately, said Mullins, Spudnuts, in a way, defines "what El Dorado is."
   "Not to put too much on Spudnuts, but I think there’s more to it than just that people like Spudnuts. It’s kind of part of what El Dorado is," he said. "People go all over the country after they leave El Dorado and tell people about Spudnuts, and it’s not just that they’re so good, I think it’s the pastry that forms the integral fabric of our hometown."
   The fact that there are only 33 Spudnuts shop in existence across the nation makes El Dorado’s shop unique, he said.
   "There’s something unique about it. It’s kind of a memory of this place. It brings up good memories of El Dorado," Mullins said. "It’s just neat to see what this unique thing we have in El Dorado means to so many people."