Friends have ‘last goodbye’: Helena youths show love for local diner with 24-hour stay

Nolan Lister

It’s an old story, the small-town friends who spent their childhoods together find themselves at the threshold of adulthood poised to venture out on disparate paths.

A group of Helena teens attempted to distill that nostalgia of youthful summertime angst known to many by spending a full 24 hours at Shellie’s Country Cafe, the backdrop to much of their teenage lives.

“Because we love this place,” ringleader John Settle said when asked why.

Settle is an 18-year-old Capital High School graduate who enlisted in the Air Force and is due to basic training in short order.

By Tuesday afternoon, about 17 hours in, the group of about six played a game of Risk in a booth at the back of the restaurant.

“It’s a last goodbye before we all shove off,” Settle said in a somewhat serious tone that did not resurface the rest of the interview.

People are also reading…

The group, which started their edible quest at 9 p.m. Monday, included Alyssa Small, an 18-year-old Capital High graduate bound for Northern Arizona University in the fall; Carlee Foster, an 18-year-old attending Gallatin College this coming semester; Clara Schuele, a

View Source