The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
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Genre: Anecdotal History Lesson
Word Count: 100
GAME OF CONES
Leaving childhood behind at fourteen, I entered the workforce. I was hired by the local Dairy Queen for a dollar an hour.
I became adept at swirling those curls atop cones and sundaes.
Did I ever wonder about the company’s history? Nope.
That was then. This is now.
J.F. McCullough and his son Alex invented soft-serve. They shared it with ice cream shop owner Sherb Noble who, in turn, offered ten-cent cones to a sell-out crowd of 1600.
The men partnered, and the first Dairy Queen opened on June 22, 1940, in Joliet, Illinois.
Another delicious piece of history served.
************************
Thanks to Yvette Prior for a lovely interview. You can read it HERE.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
The Dairy Queen ad made me think how interesting it would be to analyse a historical sequence of ads to see just how the strategy changes
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Dear Neil,
Advertising has definitely evolved, hasn’t it? Thank you for coming by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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When my parents were still alive, they used to love going to Dairy Queen (now “DQ”) for a treat. After Dad died, for a while, I’d still take Mom through the drive-thru for a cone.
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Dear James,
It seems everything must be abbreviated these days, doesn’t it? Thanks for driving through and leaving a comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Aw, love this little insight into 2 pieces of history rolled into one
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Dear Jen,
I hadn’t thought about it being two pieces of history, but I suppose it is. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Oh our personal histories are just as much a piece of the puzzle as those of better known folks, in my opinion.
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I liked your story about working so early -what a fun job to have at 14….
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Dear Yvette,
I’ll admit to having a little pull as to getting that job so young. My dad worked there part time as a grill cook. Although getting me the job was as far as that went. Dad keep the crew laughing. But we worked at opposite ends. I never cooked burgers and he never made sundaes. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I had a summer job at 14, and it was helpoing to clean this huge park, with other teens – it was pretty nice – but yours might be extra special to have that dad connection – even though you worked very different jobs…
🙂
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Dad was clever, just not when it came to making the pretty stuff. He loved feeding a crowd and making them laugh. Under the right circumstances I think he could’ve made a living as a standup comic.
He’s also the reason I made a living as a cake decorator. Because he loved to bake, he paid for a cake decorating class as a father/daughter activity. I ended up with all of his equipment as well as my own.
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That is so fun that your dad had the comic gene. And I do say that with a little seriousness because I think some humor is very innate. My husband and I were just talking about this very topic and we listed a few folks we know that seem to have that comic gene, or just natural wit that most stand up comedians do not have in real life (in my view, many stand up comedians have great jokes, good acting, and then are not always so funny in real life – and many have contentment struggles) and so those who can make them laugh in real-life have such a gift they bring to the world – and so does making food – and your dad sounds like he touched lives.
Also, how fun the way the class led to a career. The early classes I went to with my mom had to do with house repairs – never led to a career, but when I fixed a screen in the 1990s – I was pretty proud of the fact that I knew how to put in “spline” – that vinyl cord used to hold the screen mesh in place within the frame’s grooves. But then we went to Ace when we needed all of them redone – hahah
oh and one more note about the cake decorator – it seems like it has become trendy these days – with influencers etc hmmm
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These days it’s about fondant, a form I never managed to master. I can still make some nice flowers out of buttercream icing. 😉
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wow – making flowers from butter cream sounds like you mastered that – because I heard fondant is easier to make flowers with because it is firmer – hmmm
either way, I was just at a local wal-mart and that had all kinds of cake making supplies on clearance. So many things – from toppings, frostings, and pans to boxed fondant. For about 30 seconds I thought getting some to maybe use with the grandkids when they come in Sptember for a weekend – but then I decided – nope – just regular cupcakes meets our needs.
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Here’s a link to one of my stories that includes pictures of some of my favorite cakes. https://rochellewisoff.com/2021/03/31/2-april-2021/
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I enjoyed that post so much! I left a comment on the post- but the cakes were wonderful and wish I could sample one of them – hahah – also, so nice to see you in action.
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Yummy history!
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Thank you whoever you are.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, I’m sure most people don’t think of the fascinating history of the companies where they work, especially young people. Good for you for researching it later, though. I had no idea they were the first ones to have soft serve, although it makes sense. I’ve learned a lot of history through your FF stories over the years. Keep it up. 🙂 Congrats on the interview as well. I loved reading it.
-David
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Dear David,
As a kid, history was a class I barely stayed awake for. Could not have cared less from whence came my hot fudge sundae. 😉 So now when readers say they learn a lot of history from me I smile.
I’m so happy you read the interview. It’s long but even I enjoyed reading it. My publisher loved it, too.
Thank you as always for participating in Friday Fictioneers. 😀 Have a great weekend.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Interesting piece of history there, Rochelle, as always. Not familiar with Dairy Queen prior to this. Wall’s used to be the major purveyor of ice cream – everything else being a pale imitation back then. Soft ice cream came via Mr Whippy – who else?
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Dear Sandra,
Dairy Queen was a mainstay here and that curl was its signature. We all have our confections to bear, don’t we? 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
What a great first job that is! I love how the ad says it’s good for you… Uh huh. And only you can share the history and make it interseting.
The interview with Yvette is quite interesting – I’ll have to come back to it as it is a tad time-consuming!!
Shalom and lotsa love with a curl,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
Considering back in the days of that ad, everyone and their brother smoked onscreen, including pregnant women. Guess there’s what’s good for the consumer and what’s good for the advertiser. And never the mane shall tweat.
Thank you
Shalom and lotsa tasteful hugs,
Rochelle
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Hah! There is that!
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what an interesting piece of history with a personal touch in it. thanks for sharing. 🙂
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Thank you, Plaridel.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Fascinating as always Rochelle. A taste of history. Love the old ad poster
Why am I now craving ice cream!
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Dear Laurie,
I hope by now you’ve taken care of that craving. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A delicious story. Hmmm, now I want one of these. We call it soft ice here. I had to look it up to see if it was the same, because dairy queen isn’t a thing here, and they list another two or three inventors. Good things are reinvented, as they should be. 😀
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Dear Gabi,
It seems where there’s one inventor, there’s another. 😉 Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Great photo Rochelle and story 🙌
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Many thanks, Angela.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I am craving an ice cream now! A lovely bit of history and photo.
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Dear Dahlia,
Hope you’ve satisfied your ice cream craving. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a great memory! My first job was A&W Rootbeer! Talk about dating oneself! hehehe
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Dear Violet,
Oh how I used to love A&W root beer floats. ❤ Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Everyone knows ice cream is good for you!
I’m wondering if you preferred soft serve over regular ice cream back then and if you still do now?
We don’t have a Dairy Queen near us; the only place I know of to get soft serve around here is Carvel. It’s my husband’s favorite. 🍦
Thanks for sharing your wonderful memories!
Shalom,
🕊️
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Dear Nancy,
I don’t know that I have a preference of one type of ice cream over the other. In fact, one of my fondest memories in my Dairy Qeen days is the times I worked Sundays. My dad would pick me up and take me to a place called Crown Drugs. They made the most wonderful sodas with hard ice cream.
Thank you for your sweet comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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My pleasure, Rochelle.
One of our favorite summer treats is ice cream and ice cream sodas. Years ago in The Bronx, NY, the best place to go was Jahn’s Ice Cream and their legendary kitchen sink!
Shalom
🕊️
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I love this kind of thing!
Thank you.
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Thank you, Dawn.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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