Yummm!

For everyone familiar with the lore of Carrollton – let me give you a tease by telling you I had a chocolate malt from Dari Maid this afternoon. It was just as good as ever!

Most small towns have a favorite hangout, and Carrollton is no different. Back in the early 50's, a two-business complex was started in the south end of town.......Burger Bar and Dari Maid. It was a great hangout for everyone, and the south end of the local cruise route.

These two little buildings, sitting on the banks of Wakenda Creek, were popular with all ages. There was no going inside and eating, and there were no carhops. Dari Maid seemed a little larger inside than Burger Bar – but not by much. Patrons ate in their cars.

Dari Maid was what it sounds like – “the” place to get ice cream, drinks, etc. Until recently, it closed during the winter. But it was known far and wide for its ice cream creations and especially malts. They were so thick, it took a bit for you to let them melt enough to go through the straw. So thick, so rich – back in the day, they came in two sizes. But it was a hardy person who could get through a large!! I made the mistake one time of ordering a large and sharing it with younger daughter......I think we both had upset stomachs by the time we gave in and decided the malt had conquered us, rather than the other way around!

The Burger Bar was where you went for burgers, hot dogs – and they were locally famous for their Beef Burgers, a seasoned loose meat sandwich. When I was a child, their menu wasn't terribly diverse....just the burgers, dogs, beef burgers, maybe a tenderloin. And french fries. There was one person working inside that magical little building, so the menu couldn't be very large.

Both businesses were manned mostly by two older ladies, one for each building. Dari Maid was more known for hiring younger people to work. In the summer, it was not unusual to have two people on duty. We normally went to eat on Saturday mornings after we finished our weekly shopping, so I didn't really see who else worked in Burger Bar.

By the time the kids and I moved back here in the late fall of 1993, things had changed a bit. Burger Bar had expanded some so there was inside seating – maybe six or seven booths. So eating inside was an option, instead of eating outside in your car. Their menu had also expanded a lot.

Since the businesses sat on the banks of Wakenda Creek, adverse weather has sometimes forced a closing – the Flood of 1993 closed them for some time – water (marked on one of the inside beams) inside the Burger Bar was probably four feet deep.

The biggest change came about a year and a half ago, when the original Dari Maid was torn down and a new, all-inclusive building was built on that site......raised up a bit, to help with that flooding problem. Once the new building was open – complete with plenty of seating, a drive-up window, and new equipment – they started tearing down the old Burger Bar building. But they only got so far when the owner simply couldn't continue – when they got back to the original tiny Burger Bar, with the menu painted on the side of the building (and still there!), she stopped. It's still sitting there as they decide what to do with it – a wonderful piece of history from my childhood!

It's amazing on summer weekend afternoons to drive by Burger Bar/Dari Maid and see the crowds – it seems everyone who comes into town for vacations, reunions, etc., has to make a stop at Dari Maid for ice cream. It's a great place to renew acquaintances. And everything tastes just like you remember it.......or maybe even better!