Loving the Dairy Twirl

Thinking of the Dairy Twirl today, but in better and sunnier times . . .

During our twenty-four years of living in Lebanon, my husband and I tried often to avoid the Dairy Twirl because we loved it too much. Which meant that even if sparingly, we made sure to enjoy a banana split (shared) or a small or medium cone a time or two each season.

Sometimes we exercised self-control and drove on by when out doing errands in Lebanon. But we always rubbernecked, and noted the lines of people waiting for ice cream. A friend said she did this too, describing it as imagining “all of the expectations” inherent in humans standing in line, anticipating. Various members of the community from babies to elders, meandering to the end of the line, the board listing the possibilities: soft-serve or scooped, sugar or regular cone, a multitude of flavors. Maybe a milkshake? Pay up and stuff a tip in the jar by the window. Grab a fistful of napkins because undoubtedly you will be wearing a drip or more of that ice cream soon. For some reason, the frequent presence of dogs—they often got a small cone or dish of vanilla—was a big plus to the entire experience.

Politicians like to suss out the archetypal community gathering places to put in an appearance. In 2015, Hillary Clinton chose to stop at the Dairy Twirl during her presidential campaign, even offering to buy ice cream for the members of press who were following her. The ice cream shop thus made it into a story in The New York Times.

Many in the UV awoke on Friday morning to learn about the multiple-alarm fire on Thursday night in the building housing the Dairy Twirl, and no doubt felt the sense of potential loss to the community of what was more than just a simple ice cream shop. The building post-fire looks pretty awful. Tenants have been displaced, in the dead of winter no less. No information yet about what happens next. Nevertheless, I am hoping for, and choosing to anticipate, the Dairy Twirl’s reopening next summer, as always. Small cone, soft-serve, chocolate, extra napkins.

—————————————————

Thank you! You’re reading Artful, a blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley, and I hope you’ll subscribe (still free) and then share this post with your friends and on your social media. We now exceed 3000 subscribers.

And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.