Sharing a Personal Smile and a Story
Posted by admin under A Smile and a Story® on
As many of you who have been reading our blog probably know, the focus of the blog is about sharing a smile and a story. You wouldn’t believe it, but every time I tell someone that I work for American Dairy Queen Corporation (ADQ) they always want to tell me about when they were a kid and their mom or dad would take them every Saturday to their local DQ locaiton for a treat. I know we have shared stories about people from outside of DQ corporate headquarters, but today I want to share my smile and story.
When I was a child there was a DQ store that was two or three blocks from my house, and I would save money so I could walk to it during the day and get a Peanut Buster® Parfait (that was my favorite – until the Cookie Dough Blizzard® Treat came out). About a year and half ago, we were in my hometown and drove past that DQ store, and I was so giddy to see that it was still open. My kids didn’t understand what I was so excited about, so I decided to stop so they could experience what it was like for their dad. After we enjoyed our treats I walked back to the car with the kids and my son looked at me and said, “Our DQ is better.” The funniest thing is that after we got back in the car, my wife said that I had this look on my face as if someone had just offended me in the worst way.
It took me a couple of days to really understand what he was talking about, but what he meant was that his memories, his smiles his story, are linked to a different Dairy Queen store. Every Wednesday, my wife and I take the kids over to the DQ store that is about 50 feet from the studio where my kids take dance and gymnastics classes. So that first Wednesday after the “incident,” we started walking over to the DQ after dance class, and the kids were jumping around because they know exactly what that means – it’s time for a chocolate Dilly® Bar, chocolate mint Dilly Bar and a StarKiss® Bar. After we finished our treats, my son looked at me and said, “See dad? I told you this was better.” At which I couldn’t stop laughing!
Without getting too sentimental about the whole situation, I think what he meant is that this is his “Smile and a Story.” The best part of this tradition is that it’s a walk-up DQ store. DQ is headquartered in Minnesota, which means that we are even walking over to the DQ store on Wednesdays when it’s well below freezing outside. According to my children, there’s always room for DQ treats, and it’s never too cold. When I’m not able to make it to dance and share a treat with the kids, my week just doesn’t feel the same.
Do you have a DQ tradition that you must do after a baseball game, dance class, band concert or other event?
Comments
I grew up in North Dakota. It was a small town, but it was distinct in that it was one of the smallest towns in our area to still have a DQ. My grandfather lived next door to me on our farm, and when my sister and I borrowed his musical instruments to join the band, he couldn’t have been more proud. After our band concerts in the fall and spring, we almost always joined all the other parents and band students at DQ. No one said anything about their plans, no one arranged for us all to go to DQ — we all just showed up there. It was the city’s meeting place, whether it was 90 degrees outside or -90 degree windchills.
Now, my husband and I have a new tradition. We get Blizzards about once a week at the downtown DQ in our new Georgia town. While there is another DQ in town, it’s not the same. Our downtown DQ is closer to home, and we see the owner there often. He has a grown son, and that son has a son who is learning to walk. We love going there and seeing the baby attempt his first steps. Seeing the family really makes it feel like home to me, and that’s really what Dairy Queen is all about.
Lynsey, what great memories! It is all about connections, isn’t it? Thank you so much for sharing!
My Great-Grandparents lived about a half a block from Dairy Queen. My Papa, riddled with arthritis would take me there nearly every time I stayed with them. He’d place me on the table top with a soft serve cone and hold court with all the other elderly gentlemen having coffe. On the way home he’d eat my “trash,” as I didn’t like the ice cream cone. Everytime I pass the DQ in Cuero, TX I smile and think of all the fun we had there.
My grandfather was Kirk Journy who was the Executive Secretary of Dairy Queen, I believe in the 40′s?
We still hang a DQ spoon on our Christmas Tree every year. I believe our Aunt gave us the spoon to remember our grandfather. Of course we love our local DQ and the “blizzard”
tomj.
Thanks for the comment Tom. The DQ spoon sounds like a great tree ornament!