We watched for it, breathlessly, every day as we passed by on North Main St. As the gray end of February melted into March, we waited for those magical words to appear on the letterboard marquee near the street. More important than Groundhog Day, spotting the first red robin in the backyard, or the opening pitch of the Tigers' exhibition season, the Dairy Queen's announcement “OPENING THURSDAY – 500 FREE CONES” was our annual harbinger of spring as kids growing up in Rochester.
And when that happy day finally arrived, we ditched our books the minute we got home from school and rushed down the block to join the line for one of those free ice cream cones. (And it was always a long line, so some of you must have been there, too!) As we savored those small vanilla cones - no chocolate dip or nuts – the last of the gray, exhaust tinted snow plow piles receded from the curbs and sidewalks, spring returned to Rochester, and summer vacation was just around the corner.
The Rochester Dairy Queen still continues this spring tradition, and although I no longer stand in line for a free ice cream cone, I can't hold back a smile when I see that announcement each March. It brings back fond memories of simpler days. O harbinger of spring, O Dairy Queen!
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Yes and before the Dairy Queen on the same site, in a trailor, was the Whipsy Cream.
ReplyDeleteMark Upton