To earn money, she would wave people’s hair and clean houses. She was always busy and hard working. She and Grandpa loved to dance and to fish! They were wonderful at both!

Later in life, she became known as “The Fruit Stand Lady.” She was always honest, caring, and friendly. People would always come back because they could trust her and she made everyone feel like a friend!

Her favorite color was purple, so you’ll see her in a purple shirt in most of her pictures.

She passed away October 26, 2014. We still miss her so much, but always feel her spirit here at the fruit stand!

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In October 1956 Landon Frei had a bumper crop of apples. Wanda set a card table in the front yard to sell to all the deer hunters coming thru town. They sold the apples for 25 cents a bag. Soon they outgrew the card table and in 1957, they leased a fruit stand from Cecil & Irene Frei which was a few houses away in front of Jewell & Shelby Frei’s home. They also leased a fruit stand across from the church which was then in front of Wanda’s grandpa, Jacob Tobler’s house. Vicki remembers pulling produce up to that fruit stand in her wagon.

In 1958, they built their own fruit stand in the same spot the new one stands today.

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By the 1960’s, the main street of Santa Clara was bustling with fruit stands. Old Highway 91 was the main road from California to Salt Lake, and Santa Clara was a good stopping point at just over halfway. It was an Oasis in the desert with its tree lined streets offering shade and a cool respite since cars at that time had no air conditioners.

One newspaper recorded that there were 24 fruit stands that lined Santa Clara Drive or old Highway 91. These fruit stands offered drinks, cold fruit, cut watermelon, and tables and chairs for families to stretch their legs and refresh for the last leg of their journey.

In 1973, the “gorge” and I-15 opened. The traffic diminished and slowly, many fruit stands began closing. Wanda and Landon weren’t sure if theirs would remain open either, but they kept persevering and it has been the last remaining fruit stand for years. Their success was in part because Landon bought a truck in the early years of the fruit stand and would purchase fruits and veggies from farmers in Northern Utah, Colorado, and anywhere else he could get it and bring it back to the fruit stand. We are happy to continue the same traditions today and still get produce from many of the same families in Northern Utah and Colorado.  We have also established relationships with new farmers in Arizona, Utah, & Colorado.  

We are trying to source as much locally as possible and to meet those we buy any of our products from.  We are excited to bring you some new products that we think you’ll love! 

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In 2006, Wanda and Landon were 90 years old. Vicki had been helping run the fruit stand for several years while helping her aging parents. Dennis had been helping grandpa in the garden and on the farm. That year, Grandpa asked Bryce & Vicki to continue running the fruit stand. In 2007 Bryce built a newer, larger fruit stand to a growing customer base. Bryce and Dennis continued the gardening and farming and Vicki ran day-to-day operations at the fruit stand.

For the last 17 years, the next generation has been running the fruit stand and expanding its growth to meet the needs of a growing population in Washington County. Over those years, many people continue to stop at the fruit stand that remember being a small child traveling those hot summer days on old highway 91 and stopping at the fruit stand for a snack and some good home grown fruit and veggies.

While that group of people are aging and many that come to the fruit stand don’t know or remember Landon & Wanda, the kids have done a good job preserving their memory and the tradition of good quality fruit and vegetables and making new traditions for the younger generation to come to!

Just last week, some people traveling up from Mesquite stopped by to see when we were opening and shared this story!  

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In 1956 when Landon & Wanda set their first card table out Vicki was 12, Dennis was 6, and Bryce was a newborn babe. So the younger kids grew up working in the fruit stand. It was their life.

Vicki, at age 12, was in the prime spot for the Frei kids.  Old enough to help, she became the main fruit stand help in the Frei family.  With the exception of the few years she lived away after being married, Vicki has logged 57+ years at the fruit stand.  But even those years away, she would work in the fruit stand during the family vacations home.  She has been a constant in her family for decades.  She has worked hard to carry on the family traditions – nobody knows how to pick out a melon better or tell you which peach is good for what.

Dennis was a darling 6 year old when the fruit stand work began.  Although young, he was the oldest boy and was put to work.  With the exception of his church mission, Dennis has been working the garden and farm for well over 60 years.  The farm nor fruit stand would not be running today if it weren’t for Dennis.  He has been the glue holding the family together!  He is constant, dependable, smart, and caring!  He has always been the quiet, behind-the-scenes guy and we are grateful to him!

Being a baby when the fruit stand opened, Bryce grew up with the farm and fruit stand.  At age 18, he lived his dream of being a truck driver and even purchased his own semi which he still drives to this day!  In 2006 he sold his trucking business and “retired.”  He began working in the farm again and has been working with Vicki running the fruit stand for the last 17 years. He’s an excellent farmer and has shared his love of farming over these last 17+ years.  We are so grateful for the hard work he has put in and all the new things he has learned in gardening.

Being a Frei kid usually meant no summer vacations, with the exception of a few fishing days and the deer hunt being their vacation.  These kids have dedicated their life to the fruit stand and for that we are all grateful!

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The fruit stand wasn’t just the life of the Frei kids.  It also became the core for all the grandkids!   Every grandkid worked at the fruit stand. They picked in the field in the morning and worked in the fruit stand after that. It was their way of life and what shaped their growing up years! Many life lessons were learned at Grandma & Grandpa’s side– whether it was picking onions, hauling hay, or working in the fruit stand, those years became the way of life and the core memories and values for the grandkids..

We learned the value of work, how to count back change, how to treat people with kindness, how to have good quality products, how to be dependable and have integrity. It was also a place where we learned family history and the history of Santa Clara. You were a cousin to everyone, it seemed, so you learned who was related and how. These talks with grandma set some very strong values within the grandkids. Their love for family, the history, the heritage, the settlers, the sacrifices, the city of Santa Clara still run very deep today for the grandkids.

One of the most often asked questions of the grandkids is- “are you going to keep the fruitstand going?”

And the answer now, is YES!!!

We are happy to announce that the NEXT GENERATION is continuing the legacy. With Vicki turning 80 this year, her kids felt like she just needed to slow down a bit and let them help out. So we are thrilled to announce that Denise (Webster), Sue (Yocum), and JD (Lasswell), along with their mom, Vicki,  are the new owners of the fruitstand! They couldn’t be more excited to keep the memories of their grandma and grandpa Frei alive and to continue in the same great traditions and values their mom and grandparents instilled in them!!

Exciting things are happening– some old things returning and some new things coming! So stay tuned!