Greg Yarbrough of KARK/Fox 16 posts on Twitter the news that the Krispy Kreme outlet on Shackleford Road closed this week, ending a run that began with a ribbon cutting featuring First Lady Janet Huckabee and traffic jams when it opened in 2004.
David Ramsey has political memories of the Krispy Kreme, for a saga he chronicled in 2013. The Krispy Kreme was chosen by sunglasses-wearing Dennis Milligan as a clandestine meeting place with state Rep. Duncan Baird to share supposed dirt Milligan had gathered on Baird (much ado about nothing, an outing of Republican pals one night on the Capitol roof) with which he hoped to drive Baird out of a primary race with Milligan for the Republican nomination for state treasurer. Baird didn’t fold. Milligan won and was re-elected last year. Baird went on to be Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s budget chief and is now head of the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System.
So all’s well that ends well. Except for Krispy Kreme. Add it to the Gar Hole, the Press Club, the Sam Peck and other bygone political gathering spots of yore.
As for doughnuts: We always preferred Shipley’s.