Thursday, April 15,1993
The Battalion
Page 5
Henderson boasts unacknowledged landmark
Oldest Dairy Queen in Texas still serves it up
By MICHAEL PLUMER
The Battalion
Philadelphia has the Liberty Bell, San Fran
cisco has the Golden Gate Bridge and San An
tonio has the Alamo. But Henderson, Texas
has all three beat.
In this sleepy little town 125 miles north of
College Station lies a Dairy Queen. But not
just the ordinary run-of-the mill Dairy Queen.
It's the oldest Dairy Queen in the state of
Texas, dishing out ice cream since the 1940s.
Usually a small town is defined by how
many stoplights it has, but not Henderson.
Judgment on this town can only be passed af
ter sampling the cuisine at DQ. To do this, a
hungry traveler has double the opportunities.
Henderson has not one but two Dairy
Queens.
In any other town, this could present a diffi
cult choice but here there's no contest. The his
torical landmark is located off the world-fa
mous Henderson "Traffic Circle."
The same Traffic Circle where old men and
women from Oklahoma have spent hours,
sometimes days, trying to figure how to get off
it. The same Traffic Circle where an elderly
from Arkansas went around backwards.
Twice.
Their reward for negotiating the terrible
curve on Highway 79 is a creamy treat at Dairy
Queen.
Customers have said that having the oldest
Dairy Queen in Texas gives Henderson a touch
of class that not many other towns can claim.
Culture comes in many forms and Dairy
Queen offers the experience of a lifetime. No
silk napkins or fine silverware. Paper napkins
and plastic forks are the norm in this establish
ment, thank you very much.
Eating at such a historical landmark is like
taking a trip back into time, to a point where
there is no return.
Yes, Henderson is definitely DQ country.
The Liberty Bell is cracked, the Golden Gate
Bridge could topple at any minute and the
Alamo has bullet holes in it. There are no such
problems with this Dairy Queen.
Serving Peanut Parfaits like there is no to
morrow, the friendly folks who work the
counter try to make one feel at home amongst
the Hunger-Buster posters and Texas Basket
advertisements.
Service can be a little slow but that is to be
expected. Some of the original staffers still
work there, dishing out soft-serve ice cream
cones dipped in a smooth cho-'ola^e sauce.
The chocolate just melts in a customer's
mouth.
The best thing on the food portion of the
menu has to be the Texas Basket. Rumors
abounded that the chicken sticks that are
served were from the original dairy. But man
agement has given its assurances. Those ru
mors were unfounded.
The restrooms are clean and seem to have a
sparkle to them that most Dairy Queen bath
rooms don't possess. The tables are usually
cleared but every now and then a stray tomato
can be spotted. No problem, though, because
this is history.
Eating at the oldest operating Dairy Queen
in the free world (or at least Texas) is an expe
rience that can not be taken for granted. To
properly enjoy, there are a few ground rules.
First of all, before ordering, sit down for a
couple of minutes and enjoy the atmosphere.
You can smell the history, or is that grease?
Soaking up the surroundings is a must because
once one departs, the feeling could be lost for
ever.
Secondly, order a milkshake. Sure, it will
take a while because the original machine is
still used. But that is not the point. The shakes
are rich and creamy and really will hit the rock
bottom portion of the stomach. These few ex
tra minutes allow you to enjoy the history (aro
ma of burning grease) even more. Thank
goodness also for the clean bathrooms.
Thirdly, talk to the locals. They won't bite,
except for a few possible exceptions. Ask
questions. Don't b3 shy.
And finally, take a lot of pictures. There is a
big sign out front proclaiming the news that
Henderson is officially the home of the oldest
Dairy Queen in Texas. If there are no pictures,
how will you convince your friends that you
actually ate at such a historical place?
Sure, a trendy restaurant like The Mansion
on Turtle Creek in Dallas is a happening place.
But The Mansion has no history. Dairy Queen
symbolizes Texas and hard work.
So drop in and order up a piece of history
on me.
Alan Jackson says he's "just a guy that sings"
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The
most dressed-down person at an
Alan Jackson concert has to be
Alan Jackson.
The men in the audience are
more dressed up than the star, de
termined to stand out in their
Garth Brooks uniforms.
The women split between cow
poke dress, and more rock 'n' roll
inspired clothing.
Jackson, a good-looking 34-
year-old native of Newnan, Ga.,
can barely get a word — much
less a song — through the sea of
adoration.
"I am constantly trying to re
member that I am just a guy that
sings," Jackson said during an in
terview.
"I'm just a regular guy and I al
ways have been."
This regular guy has three plat
inum albums, including the cur
rent "A Lot About Livin' (And a
Little 'bout Love)," and 10 No. 1
country singles.
His jeans may be casual, but
there's little ordinary about his
state-of-the-art, video and lighting
enhanced performances.
He attributes his flashy stage
show to a need to compete with
more dramatic performers, like
Brooks.
"I need elaborate stage lighting
because some acts are more enter
tainer types. I don't get up there
and dance around a lot."
As a young man, cars far out
shone music as a love. The closest
thing the former forklift driver,
construction worker, and mail-
room employee at The Nashville
Network ever had to a career was
being a car salesman.
"I never really listened to a lot
of music," Jackson said. "I enjoyed
it but never bought new records or
went to concerts."
That unassuming perspective
may be what separates Jackson's
traditional, but sleek, honky-tonk
from the pack of hats he competes
against.
"I'm not real intellectual and I
don't read much. I never had that
big a vocabulary so a lot of my
stuff is real limited and it's the
way I'd say it if I was just talking
to somebody."
Jackson has a knack for writing
personal songs that connect.
"Working Class Hero" was
written after his father retired
from a Ford plant and hails blue
collar workers as heroes.
Jackson has never heard John
Lennon's bitter class-system de
nouncement of the same title, and
doesn't seem to b^ in any hurry to
do so.
"I never did really know much
about the Beatles. I was thinking
of him (his father) and so many
people like him," Jackson said.
"All they do is punch a clock all
their life. At that time I was get
ting all this recognition for my
songwriting and singing and
record sales and all.
"The working people are really
the backbone of the country to me.
I wouldn't be sitting here if it
weren't for people like that."
Jackson likes to think he's still
part of that backbone.
"It's hard work, even though
it's routine. You still have to al
ways work at it," he said.
"I think that's why I got bored
with other careers — I'd be inter
ested and then I'd get to a certain
point and you've done all you can
do with it."
"I think this job will always be a
challenge."
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2.81
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1.53
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5800°°
1.09
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Sil
3631°°
1.03
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3512°°
.77
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Sil / Si2
2267°°
.71
E
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2586°°
.56
G
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1175°°
Weight
Marquise Cut
1.47
i/J
Si2/I
v $4800°°
.90
F/G
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3500°°
.89
I
Si2/Il
2414°°
.83
D
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3900°°
.75
G
VS1/VVS2 3500 00
.71
F
Si2
2750°°
.62
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Si2/Sil
1900°°
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F
Sil/VS2
2080°°
.58
F
Sil / Si2
1700°°
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E
VVS1
2565°°
.54
H
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1590°°
.46
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K
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2.48
F
11
9610°°
2.34
I
Si2
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2.10
H
Si2
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1.64
I
Sil
6600°°
1.37
K
VS1
4795°°
1.12
D
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4500°°
1.03
G
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.96
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3900°°
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3475°°
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D
Sil
2700°°
.72
G
Sil/Si2
2300°°
.71
J
Si2
1850°°
.71
G
Si2/Il
1750°°
.65
H
Si2
1763°°
.52
J
Sil
1108°°
.52
H/I
Si2/Il
700°°
.50
J
VS2
1065°°
.46
J
Si2
980°°
.47
G
Si2
890°°
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