A fast-moving Monday afternoon fire destroyed Dairy Circus, an ice cream shop known by generations of school kids from Scotia and Glenville and more recently to movie-goers in “The Place Beyond the Pines.”
Employees and customers evacuated safely and no one was hurt, Scotia Fire Chief Kenneth Almy said at the scene, but Almy said the impact of Dairy Circus’ loss is great.
“A lot of people have come here, the kids from the high school come here, generations have come here,” Almy said as the shell of the popular ice cream shop still smouldered Monday evening. He noted owners Rob and Doreen Clemons have done a lot for the community.
“It’s just a tragedy for all of us,” Almy said.
Employees called in the fire just before 5:30 p.m. Monday after smelling smoke, Almy said. They evacuated and everyone was safe by the time firefighters arrived.
But the fire, which according to witnesses appeared to start in the upper part of the barn end, moved quickly, spreading to the rest of the structure.
Firefighters could do little but spray water on the building until the fire was out, Almy said.
By 6 p.m., the green building sign with yellow Dairy Circus letters crashed to the pavement. The iconic logo of the Dairy Circus clown offering an ice cream cone stood throughout.
Jason Kouzan, 35, who lives across from the rear of the building, said he first saw flames after seeing smoke.
“I turned my head and looked out and saw the barn part blazing on fire,” Kouzan said.
He said he planned to eat there Monday evening and regularly went there.
“I’m absolutely very, very saddened by it,” Kouzan said. “I’m terribly saddened by the loss. It’s an institution.”
Onlookers watched from the Scotia-Glenville High School lawn to see the place where so many had spent their afternoons burn down.
The ice cream shop had served as a gathering spot for many local residents.
The fire sent a thick column of black smoke over the village.
“It’s awful, it really is,” said Scotia resident Paul Wanmer, one of the many who had dinners and ice cream there for decades.
David Preston, who lives with his family nearby, brought his daughters, ages 8 and 16. The family had just gotten sundaes there a day earlier, Preston said.
“Just generations of families,” Preston said of who’s gone there. “Hopefully they’ll rebuild. Hopefully.”
In August 2011, the shop shut down seven hours early for the filming of “The Place Beyond the Pines,” with actors Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes.
Categories: -News-, Business, Schenectady County
