Goldfield diner thanks customers with community picnic

GOLDFIELD - If you were driving by the Dinky Diner in this rural town the other day and didn’t see anyone home, don’t worry.

The owners were a few blocks away at Goldfield’s community park, saying thanks to their customers.

In this case, on Sept. 17, the invite was open to all in Goldfield.

The diner’s owners, the mother and daughter team of Linda Enlund and Karie Burham, played host to a giant, free picnic in the park.

“Every year we try and tell the town ‘thank you’ for supporting us,” Enlund said. “We say ‘Thanks for coming into the diner’ and ‘Thanks to Goldfield for being here.’ So we put on a big picnic.”

“One time out of the year I think it’s special to bring all of the food and make it wonderful for everybody and say, ‘Thanks for supporting me, and I’m feeding you today,’” Enlund continued.

“That way it makes them kind of feel special, and it keeps them coming back,” she said. “It makes me feel really good because I can say ‘Thank you’ in a way that everybody enjoys it.”

“Thank you for living here, thank you for being my neighbor, and thanks for loving us,” she added.

The picnic included a complete spread, featuring tray after tray of food, an effort that took eight hours to prepare.

“We have barbecued ribs, we’ve got fried chicken, all kinds of salads, vegetable salad, hamburgers, hot dogs, watermelon,” Enlund said. “Then we have all kinds of desserts.”

Those desserts included cakes lettered in frosting, expressing thanks to Goldfield.

Also featured was a special version of corn on the cob.

“It’s really a unique way that we make our corn,” Enlund said. “We roll it in mayonnaise and then roll it in chili powder. It’s really a good corn. It doesn’t sound good, but it’s delicious.”

The Dinky Diner off Crook Avenue dates back to November 2012.

The diner’s owners have hosted the free picnic in the past. This, however, was the first time it was outdoors in the park along Broadway.

The setting provided plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the sunny afternoon with food and fun, including a dunk tank and slippery waterslide for the kids. For those who could not attend the three-hour picnic, plates of food were prepared and delivered.

“My grandson just took plates up to the (Esmeralda County) Sheriff’s Office because they support the diner a lot,” Enlund said.

Her daughter and the diner’s co-owner, Burham, called the turnout “awesome.”

“This is all my friends,” Burham said as she looked at the crowd in the park.

“This is our town. This is a family picnic, and this is our family — the town. They come into our diner every single day or however much time they can. This is our way to say thank you for keeping us in business for the years we have been here.”

Contact reporter David Jacobs at djacobs@tonopahtimes.com