KING STILL RIDING OUT STORM
For
as long as Mitch King has been drag racing, he’s been bringing his
fellow racers candy, most notably taffy, to the drag races as a
goodwill gesture. That practice has been temporarily halted as King was
one of those displaced by Hurricane Ike. King, who operates La King’s Confectionary in Galveston, Texas, rode out the devastating storm in the third floor of his three-story store.
“We got a lot of water,” King said. “We lost everything on the first floor at the candy factory and everything on the first floor of my house. There was six feet of ocean water at the candy story and seven feet at my home. Both buildings are still standing and we are all okay.”
Direct hit from Hurricane Ike adversely affects Top Fuel racer Mitch King
For as long as Mitch King has been drag racing, he’s been bringing his fellow racers candy, most notably taffy, to the drag races as a goodwill gesture. That practice has been temporarily halted as King was one of those displaced by Hurricane Ike.
King, who operates La King’s Confectionary in Galveston, Texas, rode out the devastating storm in the third floor of his three-story store.
“We got a lot of water,” King said. “We lost everything on the first floor at the candy factory and everything on the first floor of my house. There was six feet of ocean water at the candy story and seven feet at my home. Both buildings are still standing and we are all okay.”
King said the race car shop was spared the brunt of the damage with only six inches of water. He’s living in his race car transporter presently while the water subsides.
“The manufacturing facility for the taffy and ice cream was on the second floor,” King said. “Everything is in good shape and we have a great deal of inventory on the second floor as well.”
King told CompetitionPlus.com that inventory is being maintained by a large generator attached to the building that controls the coolers.
“We’re just trying to save what we have upstairs,” King added.
King’s business is completely shutdown at the present until mail service is restored to the island not to mention there’s no running water or electricity.
King hopes the business will be up and running by the Christmas season.
La King's Confectionery provided visitors a trip to a bygone era.
La King's featured a 1920's soda fountain, serving malts, shakes, ice cream sodas, sundaes, splits, floats and your favorite fountain drinks. They proudly make and serve "Purity" ice cream, Texas' first ice cream manufacturer, since 1889, was founded on Galveston Island.
La King's master candy maker thrives in old time specialties - peanut brittle, divinity, pecan pralines, hand dipped chocolates, fudges, and salt water taffy made right before the customer on antique equipment.
“Obviously it won’t be up to full capacity because of the large amount of equipment we had on the first floor,” King said. “All of that equipment that made ice cream and candy was destroyed. It’s all junk.”
King rode out the storm in the top floor of the building which he proudly proclaims “had been through all of the storms since 1869.”
“It did really well,” King said. “There was no damage, no roof leaks or any of that. All the windows remained intact and I felt real safe there. There was 12 feet of water outside of the store.”
The experience of riding out a hurricane and the after effects is nothing he cares to make a regular experience.
“Long and slow,” King said, of the experience of riding out the storm. “We were trapped in the building and it took about 15 or 16 hours for the water to go down enough just to wade out of there.”
