MILLERSPORT, OH--Located on Canal Drive, across the street from Buckeye Lake, Weldon's Ice Cream is a trip back in time to the 30s and 40s.
- For nearly nine decades and four generations, Weldon’s Ice Cream Factory has been a staple in Fairfield County.
- Rudy and Elizabeth Weldon bought the property on Canal Drive in 1929 and converted it into an ice cream factory.
- The business will celebrate 90 years in 2020.
Rudy and Elizabeth Weldon bought the former hotel in 1929 and converted it into an ice cream factory the following year.
Their daughter Marilyn Pierce still remembers passing out penny candies as a child.
in the early days, especially when times were tough, Pierce says you could always count on family and the community for support.
“At 14 when my daddy died, it was difficult, but we carried on, everybody worked together. It was I guess God's plan,” says second generation owner, Marilyn Pierce.
Years later, many of the ice cream recipes still remain the same, but the toppings have evolved.
Patrons from near and far return each year for favorites like salty turtle, cookie dough brownie, and milkshakes—like The Buckeye Lake Mud Bottom Chocolate.
He says guests appreciate his efforts in to preserve the building's interior, the way it looked when his grandparents owned the shop.
“People want to remember things from their day, the way it was. And you go today, and things change so rapidly. You watch their face and you know that it just all comes back to them. It's just really cool to see,” says GM and third generation owner, David Pierce.
Weldon's will celebration 90 years in 2020.
They hope to have an Ohio Historical Marker added to their property at that time.
The eldest Pierce says her mom and dad would be proud of how the business has been able to maintain tradition and quality—nine decades later.