By Will Grunewald
From our August 2024 70th Anniversary issue
I remember the first time I went to an old-fashioned soda fountain as a kid. I was maybe 12 or 13, and new owners had just reopened a 1920s drugstore not far from where my family lived, in Pittsburgh. The owners had ditched the drugs but retained the ice cream, the pop (the regional term for soda), and the old marble countertops, swivel stools, and stainless-steel fountain equipment. At the time, it felt like a very adult experience, like sidling up to the bar at an old-time pub. Now, on the contrary, I get a real childlike thrill from soda fountains. I think maybe it’s the memory of those days when I could ingest copious amounts of sugar without consequence — nostalgia, in a setting that’s tailored to nostalgia anyway. Plus, whenever I step into a soda fountain now, I tend to be able to temporarily consign those annoying nutritional considerations to the far recesses of my mind.
Here in Maine, we’re lucky to have several such establishments, where the jerks — that’s what soda-fountain workers are called — serve up floats, frappes, sundaes, and the like. For three quarters of a century, downtown Damariscotta has been home to the Waltz Soda Fountain, in what was once a Rexall pharmacy and where the banana split could feed a family, with three generous scoops of ice cream and a mountain of whipped cream and nuts — the ratio of fruit to everything else skews the way I prefer it (167 Main St., Damariscotta; 207-563-7632). Farther up the midcoast, in Belfast, inside the Chocolate Drop Candy Shop, there’s Dave’s Old Fashioned Soda Fountain (35 Main St., Belfast; 207-338-0566). Black-and-white tile floors and chrome accents at the bar amp up the retro atmosphere, which is just right for ordering a root-beer float. Meanwhile, the A&C Soda Shop, in South Portland, in addition to boozy and non-boozy shakes, does a Moxie float, for Mainers who like their floats extra Maine-y (501 Cottage Rd., South Portland; 207-747-4089). And although it requires taking the ferry to Islesboro — and bringing either your car or bicycle to get around the island — the Dark Harbor Shop is worth the trip, for a convincing feeling of stepping back in time (515 Pendleton Point Rd., Islesboro; 207-734-8878). Try the horse’s necktie, any pairing of ice cream and soda blended together, frappe-style. The classic combination is vanilla ice cream with orange soda. And it’s never a bad call to stick with the classics.
These are just four of the 70 brrrrthday treats — from popsicles to shaved ice to lots and lots of ice cream — highlighted in our 70th Anniversary issue. To see all 70 items, pick up a copy on newsstands or order the issue online here.
