Remembering Tastee Freez
It's now August, 2020. Stanley Korona has reported this business is once again closed and up for sale. Could this be the last of an era?
In 2008, the Daily Herald published a very interesting Historical review of the West Chicago Tastee Freez, located 130 Fremont Street just north of Washington Street.
While not listed on the offical Tastee Freez website, the building was built in 1955 and still stands at this same location. However, the house on the left (in the photo below) has been replaced by a parking lot. As near as I can tell, the business closed in 2004 and was finally purchased in 2007 and had extensive remodeling to bring it up to city code. It reopened in May 2007. Fortunately, the Tastee Freez was still open for business in mid October, 2017! Man, those shakes are good....!!!! |
For several summers in the late 50's and early 60's, I was a life-guard at the West Chicago Swimming Pool as well as a member of the Sharks swimming team. Almost every night after the pool closed, or a swim meet ended, I can remember walking from the pool to the Tastee Freez, with friends and/or neighbors, for a late night snack. My choice was usually a milk shake and my favorites were Marshmallow-Butterscotch or Vanilla. Occasionally I would splurge on a banana-split with chocolate, marshmallow and butterscotch toppings with whipped cream and a cherry. No nuts! After some cool refreshments on a warm summer night, we all walked our separate ways home. Ah, the good old days! Reid Simmons.
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