Dee Dee Record Allen signing her cookbook for a fan. Submitted photo

I got an email not long ago from a reader who suggested that we write about a certain Mechanic Falls lady who had accomplished a great many things. 

“A real life Wonder Woman,” said the letter writer, as she described the many achievements of one Dee Dee Record Allen. 

I had heard of Allen here and there, but I didn’t know much about her, so off to the Sun Journal archives I went. 

There she was in the thick of a story about some local country music awards. 

There she was hosting a craft fair at the dance hall The Silver Spur in Mechanic Falls which, as it happens, is owned by Dee Dee Record Allen. 

The lady was all over the place, offering line dancing classes, instructing something called “Piloxing,” teaching strangers how to knit blankets, and whipping up meals at D’s Pantry Cookin’, which — go figure — is owned and operated by Dee Dee, as well. 

The lady clearly subscribes to the notion that idle hands are the devil’s workshop, and we knew that getting her between gigs would be difficult, but we gave it a go and Dee Dee came through. 

Here’s what she had to say about her busy and productive life. 

If someone asks you what you do, how do you answer them? I recently opened a cooking business where I make prepared meals for families and deliver them weekly to residents in the Oxford Hills and surrounding areas. I also own and operate a country music dance hall which has live country bands every Saturday night. I also teach line dancing on Monday nights at the Silver Spur.

What is D’s Pantry Cookin’ all about? During the pandemic while laid off, I started D’s Pantry Cookin’. It started as a YouTube show with weekly recipes, and tips and tricks for baking and cooking. I come from a long line of great cooks and bakers and have lots of old-fashioned recipes. People wanted a cookbook with all of the recipes, so I took some and published my first cookbook in November of 2020. The following spring I launched the “mobile meals” segment of D’s Pantry Cookin’, where a family of six who orders, has dinner delivered to their door each Thursday. It has been a great success and we are looking to branch out doing meals for smaller families in the future.

How did you come to own and run the Silver Spur? Being a musician myself, my family band “The Record Family” played at (the Silver Spur), then called the Nickelodeon. The owners said they were thinking of selling, so I purchased it in May of 2005. Keeping live country music going in the state is very important to me and my husband as we are both passionate about the art as we are both performers.

How long have you been performing? My first performance was when I was 6 years old. So I’ve been performing now for just over 44 years.

Did you really teach a group of 40 how to knit blankets? How did that come about? Actually I taught two classes of 40. Filling the Spur up with additional activities to utilize the space, I thought having crafting classes would be fun. I love crafting, so this year I taught two blanket-making classes this fall and three wreath-making classes. I plan to do more this winter doing other crafts as well.

What can you tell us about Piloxing? Piloxing is a combination workout of standing Pilates and boxing. Though you are not punching a punching bag, you make all the motions. It was founded by a women originally from Sweden, Viveca Jensen, and works your core, arms, legs and all parts of the body.

What was it like working for the Maineiacs? Working for the MAINEiacs I can say was one of my favorite jobs as far as working for someone else. The relationships that I built still carry through today to many. We worked hard, but also enjoyed the time we had experiencing many of the social aspects as well.

What do you do in your free time, assuming you ever have any? Free time is scarce, but when I do have it I like to plan trips to visit friends, home improvement projects, and in the summer working outside.