Memories of Dairy Queen
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Ice cream giant, Dairy Queen, is an American institution that originated right here in the Midwest. For most Midwesterners, the franchise and its sweet treats feature prominently in our memories of family and our understanding of our hometowns and midwestern identities.
On December 4 and 5, TheatreMidwest will present DQ; Or Our Sovereign State (formerly known as Dairy Queen) as part of our free Fresh Produce Concert Reading series. Playwright Sarah Loucks, who grew up in Boone, Iowa uses this quintessential Midwest backdrop on the Fourth of July to examine the attainability of the American Dream and small town limitations through the eyes of two unsupervised teenagers armed with ice cream and vodka. Read below for slices of life featuring Dairy Queen through the eyes of the cast of and TheatreMidwest staff. |
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When I was younger, every time we visited my Nanny we would always go to Dairy Queen because she loved getting a banana split. She passed away some time ago, but every time I think of or see a banana split, I think of her. - Claire Boston | Karen in Dairy Queen and TheatreMidwest Management Associate
The DQ in my hometown is so small that you cannot actually sit in it - you either have to go through the drive thru or sit at the tables outside. It also seemed super cramped with equipment, anyone with claustrophobia would get really anxious there. - Jordan Leckband | Narrator in Dairy Queen
One of my best memories of my grandfather when I was a kid, is that he would periodically pick me up in his big yellow Cadillac and take me to the Dairy Queen where we would have a cone and listen to the baseball game (MN Twins) on the radio with the windows open. Sometimes this was more of a family thing, with my sister and one or both of my parents, but every now and then it was just me (partly because I was the only baseball fan among us.) This was a very special endeavor, and I still think of this whenever I find myself at a DQ, think about my grandfather, or catch some Twins baseball on the radio. -Tom Woldt | TheatreMidwest Artistic Director
Ice cream has always been a big thing for my family. Going to DQ was usually a special trip after soccer games, band concerts, and other events. My dad would always get a Buster Bar, my mom would get a chocolate shake, and my brother and I would go crazy and try Blizzard's with funky toppings. When I first got my driver's license, I took my pet cat to DQ and got her the tiniest vanilla cone I have ever seen. - Meghan Leckband | Stage Manager for Dairy Queen and TheatreMidwest Management Associate
A good friend of mine worked at a Dairy Queen in high school. There was never anyone else there on a weeknight so I'd bring my homework in and she'd give me free sundaes for hanging out with her all night. - Eliz Tomaras | TheatreMidwest Production Management Associate
DQ was special. My family used to make special family trips to DQs 45 minutes away because there was not one in my town. We'd put a cooler in the back so my Dad could stock us up on Dilly Bars, his favorite. I have associated Dilly bars with my father my whole life. - Erin Tracy | TheatreMidwest Communications Director
In high school, one of my best friends worked for Dairy Queen. They were a couple years older than me, and so had been with the company for a while were very trusted by the owner. One day we were hanging out, and she took me to her DQ so we could get some free snacks. I'm lactose intolerant, but have never let that stop me from enjoying dairy products. It would be years before I was told of the existence of Lactaid. She told me to order whatever I wanted, it was on the house! I said, "One small Cookie Dough Blizzard, please!"
"Just a small?!"
"I'm lactose intolerant and I had cereal with milk this morning."
"You're not lactose intolerant! Make it an extra large Blizzard!"
We got our treats and headed forward with our day. Half way through the Blizzard, the cramps hit. Hard. I urged my friend to get us to the nearest bathroom ASAP. We stopped by a Marshalls, and off I went. When I finally met up with my friend, she said, "Wow. You weren't lying. I made it around the entire store twice before you got back." - Giovanni Bahena | Lee in Dairy Queen
When I was little I used to love the butterscotch dilly bars. We got to go to our local DQ for a field trip and see how they dipped them and my mind was blown cuz I thought they were made in factories (like a Blue Bunny novelty treat is). I think we may have even been able to dip our own? I am from the ice cream capital of the world (The famous LeMars, IA). Whether it be hanging out at the Blue Bunny ice cream parlor after a school concert or stopping at a DQ for a blizzard on the long drive to my Grandma's house, ice cream is a big treat in my family. - Lindsey Oetken | TheatreMidwest Management Associate
Around the time I was in Middle School, the DQ was bought by the parents of a good friend who lived right across the street. I have some good memories around the time we were learning to drive and cruising up to the *back door* and going in for some (no waiting, no cost) treats. And sometimes brain freeze from same. -Tom Woldt | TheatreMidwest Artistic Director
I finally live near a DQ after a decade of being a minimum of 45 minutes away from one. Because I lived far away from a DQ, I didn't experiment much with the options and always got my favorite, the coffee-flavored Mocha Moo-latte. I was excited to have one so near me and ordered a Mocha Moo-latte at the window. The teen employee asked some snarky follow up questions that didn't make a lot of sense to me, until I realized he was teasing me about being at Starbucks by mistake. Now I'm not sure I can go back and face the teasing. - Erin Tracy | TheatreMidwest Communications Director
Back in elementary school we never knew when our grandma would randomly be picking us up instead of our mom. When she did, it ALWAYS meant going to Dairy Queen because grandmas are the best. It also somehow always coincided with my sister, the messiest eater on the planet, wearing a white shirt which would then be ruined by chocolate ice cream. - Eliz Tomaras | TheatreMidwest Production Management Associate
The DQ in my hometown is so small that you cannot actually sit in it - you either have to go through the drive thru or sit at the tables outside. It also seemed super cramped with equipment, anyone with claustrophobia would get really anxious there. - Jordan Leckband | Narrator in Dairy Queen
One of my best memories of my grandfather when I was a kid, is that he would periodically pick me up in his big yellow Cadillac and take me to the Dairy Queen where we would have a cone and listen to the baseball game (MN Twins) on the radio with the windows open. Sometimes this was more of a family thing, with my sister and one or both of my parents, but every now and then it was just me (partly because I was the only baseball fan among us.) This was a very special endeavor, and I still think of this whenever I find myself at a DQ, think about my grandfather, or catch some Twins baseball on the radio. -Tom Woldt | TheatreMidwest Artistic Director
Ice cream has always been a big thing for my family. Going to DQ was usually a special trip after soccer games, band concerts, and other events. My dad would always get a Buster Bar, my mom would get a chocolate shake, and my brother and I would go crazy and try Blizzard's with funky toppings. When I first got my driver's license, I took my pet cat to DQ and got her the tiniest vanilla cone I have ever seen. - Meghan Leckband | Stage Manager for Dairy Queen and TheatreMidwest Management Associate
A good friend of mine worked at a Dairy Queen in high school. There was never anyone else there on a weeknight so I'd bring my homework in and she'd give me free sundaes for hanging out with her all night. - Eliz Tomaras | TheatreMidwest Production Management Associate
DQ was special. My family used to make special family trips to DQs 45 minutes away because there was not one in my town. We'd put a cooler in the back so my Dad could stock us up on Dilly Bars, his favorite. I have associated Dilly bars with my father my whole life. - Erin Tracy | TheatreMidwest Communications Director
In high school, one of my best friends worked for Dairy Queen. They were a couple years older than me, and so had been with the company for a while were very trusted by the owner. One day we were hanging out, and she took me to her DQ so we could get some free snacks. I'm lactose intolerant, but have never let that stop me from enjoying dairy products. It would be years before I was told of the existence of Lactaid. She told me to order whatever I wanted, it was on the house! I said, "One small Cookie Dough Blizzard, please!"
"Just a small?!"
"I'm lactose intolerant and I had cereal with milk this morning."
"You're not lactose intolerant! Make it an extra large Blizzard!"
We got our treats and headed forward with our day. Half way through the Blizzard, the cramps hit. Hard. I urged my friend to get us to the nearest bathroom ASAP. We stopped by a Marshalls, and off I went. When I finally met up with my friend, she said, "Wow. You weren't lying. I made it around the entire store twice before you got back." - Giovanni Bahena | Lee in Dairy Queen
When I was little I used to love the butterscotch dilly bars. We got to go to our local DQ for a field trip and see how they dipped them and my mind was blown cuz I thought they were made in factories (like a Blue Bunny novelty treat is). I think we may have even been able to dip our own? I am from the ice cream capital of the world (The famous LeMars, IA). Whether it be hanging out at the Blue Bunny ice cream parlor after a school concert or stopping at a DQ for a blizzard on the long drive to my Grandma's house, ice cream is a big treat in my family. - Lindsey Oetken | TheatreMidwest Management Associate
Around the time I was in Middle School, the DQ was bought by the parents of a good friend who lived right across the street. I have some good memories around the time we were learning to drive and cruising up to the *back door* and going in for some (no waiting, no cost) treats. And sometimes brain freeze from same. -Tom Woldt | TheatreMidwest Artistic Director
I finally live near a DQ after a decade of being a minimum of 45 minutes away from one. Because I lived far away from a DQ, I didn't experiment much with the options and always got my favorite, the coffee-flavored Mocha Moo-latte. I was excited to have one so near me and ordered a Mocha Moo-latte at the window. The teen employee asked some snarky follow up questions that didn't make a lot of sense to me, until I realized he was teasing me about being at Starbucks by mistake. Now I'm not sure I can go back and face the teasing. - Erin Tracy | TheatreMidwest Communications Director
Back in elementary school we never knew when our grandma would randomly be picking us up instead of our mom. When she did, it ALWAYS meant going to Dairy Queen because grandmas are the best. It also somehow always coincided with my sister, the messiest eater on the planet, wearing a white shirt which would then be ruined by chocolate ice cream. - Eliz Tomaras | TheatreMidwest Production Management Associate
