PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Not long after the Houlton Farms Dairy Bar opened for the season in Presque Isle on Thursday, about a dozen people stood in line eagerly awaiting their first taste of fresh ice cream.
Close to a dozen people wait in line at the Houlton Farms Dairy Bar in Presque Isle on opening day, Thursday, April 12. (Melissa Lizotte | Star-Herald)
Despite temperatures in the low-40s and a chilly breeze in the air, people of all ages saw their trip to the dairy bar as one of the first signs, along with the melting snow, that summer will soon arrive.
“I’ve lived in Maine my whole life and have always come here for ice cream,” Sydney Churchill, 22, of Presque Isle, said. “When people think of ice cream, they think of warmer weather and how much they want to get out of the house after a long winter.”
Churchill visited Houlton Farms with her friend Ariel Williams, 20, who originally is from Texas but has been living most recently in Presque Isle. Williams said that she’ll miss summer trips to the dairy bar after she moves back to Texas in May.
“We don’t have places like this where I’m from,” Williams said, before enjoying a small strawberry milkshake. Churchill ordered a small chocolate milkshake.
Janice Walsh of Fort Fairfield brought her 4-year-old daughter MacKenzie Pictou to Houlton Farms on Thursday. While waiting for her vanilla ice cream dish with sprinkles, Pictou anxiously tried to peek over the high counter and couldn’t wait to dig into her treat.
Despite temperatures in the low 40s and some snow still clinging to the ground, folks in Presque Isle were eager to get their first taste of fresh ice cream at the Houlton Farms Dairy Bar on opening day of the season, Thursday, April 12. (Melissa Lizotte | Star-Herald)
“I like ice cream and sprinkles,” she said, when asked about her favorite part about visiting the Houlton Farms.
“We come here a lot during the season and are always excited for the place to open. That’s when we know summer is coming soon,” Walsh said, as she enjoyed her own hot fudge sundae.
According to Houlton Farms Dairy’s Facebook page, the initial hours of operation for the Presque Isle dairy bar April 12 through 29 will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday and 3 to 8 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday. An opening date for their Caribou and Houlton locations will be announced at a later date.
