{image1}The Popcorn Wagon, 2590 N. Downer Ave., is Milwaukee's oldest popcorn wagon and possibly the oldest in the country. Although its exact age is not known, East Side residents say it has perched on the corner since 1916.
Lee Collins, a retired salesman who lives in the neighborhood, bought the structure six years ago. Originally from Chicago, he remembers buying popcorn from the wagon in the '60s when he came to Milwaukee on business.
Collins tried to buy the business 20 years earlier, but was denied the opportunity. Six years ago, when the wagon was again for sale, he told his wife that this time he had to have it. Why?
"I like kids," says Collins, who has one foster son. "I thought it would be a thrill for parents to have their kids step up to the wagon and buy a popcorn, just like they did."
Made of metal and wood, the Popcorn Wagon is reminiscent of a 19th century peddler's wagon. Before it became a historical structure, the Downer Avenue wagon underwent numerous paint jobs and facade changes, but now, because of its historical status, Collins cannot radically alter the appearance. He recently, however, replaced rotting wood and repainted the signage.
Originally, the wagon was portable, but many years ago the wheels were embedded in concrete, making it a permanent attraction.
Harold Avery, 71, grew up on the East Side and remembers buying treats at the wagon in the '50s. "A bag of popcorn was a nickel," he says.
Today, a bag of popcorn is $3.50, or $3.70 with real butter. Ice cream and candy are also for sale, but not the penny candy that was commonly sold in popcorn wagons for decades.
"I keep my prices affordable for kids, but we just can't do penny candy anymore," says Collins.
Although the parking lot behind the wagon may soon be converted into retail space, the wagon, itself, will stay, according to a statement by Ald. Michael D'Amato.
The Popcorn Wagon has maintained a fairly high profile over the years. An illustration of it appeared in John Updike's first book, published in 1965, called "A Child's Calendar." The illustrator, Nancy Ekholm Burkert, is from Milwaukee.
Local author Sandy Tolan wrote the book "Me and Hank: A Boy and His Hero, Twenty-five Years Later" which attempts to decipher why Hank Aaron's home run record is less celebrated than Babe Ruth's. Collins says Tolan's very first pack of baseball cards came from his wagon.
Also, Collins says he once sold popcorn to Tiger Woods and that, although he can't confirm it for sure, rumor says that President Dwight D. Eisenhower stopped at the wagon a few times as a kid.
For years, Milwaukee featured several popcorn wagons of similar design, but today all of the other historic wagons have disappeared.
"I don't get rich on my wagon, but it pays for itself," says Collins. "And every day someone tells me they used to come to the wagon as a kid."
The Popcorn Wagon is open all summer from 4 until 9 p.m.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
