By Quinn O’Hara

Shirley Riek has been selling candy for a total of 50 years, and she says this year might be her last.

For the past 37 years, Riek has been selling candy to individuals and local businesses for a few weeks of the holiday season. In recent years, Cindy Thatcher of the C&R Credit Union has hosted Riek in the Credit Union’s lobby.

Shirley Riek talks of how she got into the candy selling business:

Riek says she continued selling candy on her own since 1986 because the local churches did not know where else to buy candy from.

Riek tells us where she sources her candy:

Friday, December 22 was the last day to purchase candy from Riek for the 2023 holiday season, and it might also be her last year selling candy. She says she thinks “50 years is long enough.”