She's a darling of the Victoria Lions and the sentiment goes both ways.  She identifies, in particular, the late Chris Christopherson and also Wink Gay, Jerry Schmieg, and LeRoy Worm.
"I know a lot of the Victoria Lions by sight but not by name," she said.  "When I drive into Lions Park every year at this time, we're like the best of friends.  After all, I've been coming here since 1981, the first year we got a trailer."
Darlene Wedin, 63, is the owner of a carnival wagon from where she serves hot sugared mini-donuts, ice cold sno-cones, salty fresh popcorn, and this year, for the very first time, chewy fried cheese curds, better even that those at the Minnesota State Fair. 
Have her cheese curds been a hit?  "Extremely!" stated Darlene as she rolled them around in a bowl of flour and dropped them into the sizzling oil.
How did this lady from Rockford, Minnesota, come to be the only vendor that is allowed at the annual Victoria Lions Tournament, which is always held on the third weekend of July?  The Lions, themselves, you see, are trying to make a buck selling their own food.  As a matter of fact, this is the Victoria Lions biggest fundraiser of the year.
Darlene recalls exactly how she got invited by the Victoria Lions.  "My gentleman friend at the time, Dale Wierschke, saw an advertisement for the Victoria Lions Bed Races on Main Street Victoria.  They were looking for vendors to help fill the empty spaces, I guess, and so he called the number and Chris Christopherson said to come on down.  We sold donuts Friday night on Main Street Victoria and then moved our concession trailer to Lions Park for the tournament games on Saturday and Sunday."
Lots has happened since 1981.  For one thing, the Lions Bed Races and Street Dance became events of the past, partly because of liabilities related to alcohol and other things.
Darlene retains the name of her concessions as "Running W's," even though Mr. Wierschke (the other W) has been gone a few years.  "Dale died of lung cancer in 1996 from smoking too many cigarettes," she stated matter of factly.  "Of course it's been a lot more work for me without him.  Dale always set up the trailer and ran for supplies."
For the last nine years, it's basically been a one-woman show.  There has been only one Running W.
"Sometimes there are people around who will help me," she continued.  "There are always people in Victoria to help me.  Wink checks on me every year.  Bruce from the city helps me too, along with the Lions.  Chris always liked to take credit for bringing me in.  I know Jerry, your old mayor.  My contact every year is LeRoy.  He calls to see if I'm coming."
After that first year at the Victoria Lions Tourna-ment Weekend, Darlene added popcorn to her concessions.  "The Lions burnt up their own popcorn machine and they asked if we could do popcorn.  So we did that too," she explained.  "That was already in our second or third year in business."
"The Lions know my operation and they know me," she said.  "They can trust me."  Darlene is not in competition with the Lions menu of burgers and brats, pop and beer, candy and condiments.  Today she sells her curds for $4, her mini-donuts for $3, her sno-cones for $2, and her popcorn for $1.
Darlene works in a spanking brand new wagon built to her design, colors, and specifications.  It's 8 feet by 16 feet in dimensions and is air conditioned.  "It was very spendy," she said.  "I've got friends who own a carnival and they helped me arrange the financing.  I got it on July 19^th, 2004."
"My old trailer was only 6 feet by 10 feet with one solid window and two little crank windows," she said.  "I would have died in there this year."
The summer of 2005 has been a scorcher, recording over a dozen days in a row of 90+ degree temperatures.  "I don't want to know the temperature," said Darlene.  "If you don't know that it's 97 degrees, then you can say it's 85 degrees."
Darlene has three married sons and seven grandchildren, all of them living far away from home so the mother and grandmother just keeps on working seven days a week.  Her full time job is for a credit approval and collection company in Coon Rapids. 
Her weekend job has taken her, so far in 2005, to Glencoe Days, a St. Louis Park celebration, and four weekends at the Minnesota Magic Midway Carnival.  After the Victoria Lions Weekend she prepared for the Buffalo Rodeo, the Brainerd County Fair, and Rockford River Days.
If and when she decides to take it a little easier, her full time job will go first.  "I'll keep doing the concessions," she said determinedly.
Thank you, darling Darlene, for making the Victoria Lions happy every year … as well as the hundreds of people who enjoy that delicious summer weekend in Victoria.