Iconic Whitefish Corner Market to Host ‘Barbara Bash’ Celebrating Longtime Employee
During her nearly three-decade tenure at Markus Community Market, Barbara Hennessey has become the face of the local institution
By Mike Kordenbrock
It’s been almost 27 years to the day since Barbara Hennessey got hired on the spot to work at Markus Community Market as a cashier, and so the Whitefish institution is determined to mark the occasion for the beloved longtime employee this Friday with what they’re calling The Barbara Bash. Community members are invited to come on out and celebrate her and show her how much they love her.
Now in her 80s, and contemplating taking on some reduced hours at Markus after a recent illness that led to an absence from the store, Hennessey said she’s looking forward to the event, which will feature food and drink samples from vendors, and a raffle to raise money for Good Grief Camp.
“I’m kind of excited. They’ve been very good to me,” Hennessey said of the people at Markus.
An organizer for the event, Nikki Thompson, who handles the wine and beer side of the business and has worked with Hennessey for the last 16 years, said that her coworker has been a staple at the store over the last nearly three decades.
Posters designed for the event show a caricature drawing of Hennessey wearing a small crown inscribed with the words “Queen B.”
“She’s kind of the face of Markus,” Thompson said. “People will stand in line longer just to have her check them out. She’s a feisty, fun character.”
Over the years, Hennessey said she’s tried to take care of her own business at work, and has asked that people speak to her directly if there’s something they feel they need to say about her. She’s adamant that the store isn’t a bar, and says she has held herself to that standard in how she conducts herself. Asked about the changes to Whitefish over the years, she laughs and says, “Oh my,” before indulging in some mild grousing about all the people that have come to this corner of the state.
As for whether or not the coming fall shoulder season could offer a bit of a reprieve, Hennessey says, “I don’t think there’s any breaks in Whitefish, Montana anymore.”
“I enjoy all the seasons,” she said. “The people change with the weather, they do, and everybody’s been very nice to me.”
One exception happened during the pandemic, when she said a dispute over masking led her to ask a customer to leave the store, something she’d never done before. Otherwise, she described enjoying her time at Markus and the people she’s gotten to know over the years.
Hennessey said that she grew up in the Half Moon area, attending the Canyon View School before continuing on at Columbia Falls High School. She married out of high school, before later divorcing and finding herself a single mother with three kids, she said.
Twenty-seven years ago she says she was working at a motel in its office and also turning over rooms for cleaning when a coworker came in and said they were quitting their job at Markus.
“I just thought, ‘Go right ahead because as soon as I’m done here I’m going up and applying,’ and they hired me on the spot, and I’ve been there ever since,” she said, adding that for a long time she worked two jobs.
The Barbara Bash will take place Sept. 6 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot outside Markus, and will feature food and drink samples from vendors, as well as a raffle. The raffle will include gift baskets, coolers, corn hole sets, camping gear, a home brew kit, a bike, and a gift card. Money raised from the raffle will go to Good Grief Camp, which Hennessey picked. She chose Good Grief Camp because children are important to her, and she said she knows what it’s like to lose loved ones.
“I’m for the kids,” she said.