Dairy Freeze

The term "Dairy Freeze" has become a generic name-brand these days, with most shops independently owned and many of them never having been part of the original Ohio franchise to begin with. The variations seem endless - some are still the classic roadside cone stand, while others have morphed into actual sit-down restaurants and even barbecue joints.

Above: East Main Dairy Freeze, Lebanon, KY. Below: Dairy Freeze, Georgetown, KY.



Below: Middleburg Dairy Freeze, Middleburg, KY. According to Lady of the Woods, the elephant statue in their yard was a frequent victim of "elephant tipping" from local teens, and so is now mounted to a concrete base.





Previously here, we've also reported on two now-defunct Kentucky Dairy Freezes: Red River Dairy Freeze in Clay City, and the Cree-Mee Drive-in Dairy Freeze in Stanford.

Masonic diary on eBay

For the next couple of months, I'm going to be putting up various and sundry items up for auction on eBay as part of an ongoing fundraising drive for the Catclaw Theatre Company and the cause to which we are all so devoted. Items will range from the trenchant to the trivial, from the massive to the miniscule, for all budgets great and small.

Many of the items may be of interest to collectors of Kentuckiana, such as this old diary kept in a 1942 calendar/dayplanner from the Madison-Southern National Bank & Trust Company, Richmond, KY.

Attached to the upper right corner of the cover is a blue and gold Masonic lapel pin.

The small book is heavily written in throughout, used primarily as a diary but also as an address book, general ledger, and notepad for various philosophical musings. It was the property of one Valley C. Megee, Stanford, KY, who resided at something called the "Blue Cat Tourist Home". (One of the last entries in the diary says "Moved back to Richmond".)


Like most old diaries, it's a fascinating and sometimes sad record of someone's life, and may well be the only remaining tangible legacy left behind by that person.



Click here to view our auctions. More will be added daily, so keep a-checkin'.

Cree-Mee

Old-school retro ice cream stands, while not quite as endangered an American species as the Drive-in theater, are nevertheless gradually vanishing from the landscape. May the iconic resonance of the walk-up ice cream stand continue to survive in the 21st century.

This one, Cree-Mee, can be found in Stanford, KY and is highly recommended. Last time I was there, I had a banana shake and some french fries that tasted strangely like buttered corn; in other words, amazing.

Stanford Drive-In

Unfortunately, America's Drive-in Theaters have been on the wane for years now, to the point where just finding one that still exists warrants inclusion in our collection of unusualities. The Stanford Drive-In and Flea Market in Lincoln County won't disappoint any seeker of true Americana, merging together two of the cultural concepts that made our country great. And unlike many a low-budget Drive-in struggling to just carry any schlock they can get their hands on, the Stanford Drive-in actually still carries first-run movies. (As of this writing, "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull" is playing.)

Masonic Neon Signs

Some of my friends and I have always been fixated on the idea of secret societies having neon signs.

Above: Frankfort. Below: Stanford.