During our recent rash of hot weather, I was visiting with some folks out at the Mower County Historical Society. They told me that it used to be a summer tradition to cool off at Klagges Ice Cream Store. The original Klagges was a few blocks east of the Hormel Historic Home (then the YWCA) at 701 Fourth Ave. NE, just east of the bridge.

Established in 1939, an advertisement from 1963 says “When Mom’s Tired of Cooking Call Klagge’s for Hot Take-Out Dinners, Chicken Supreme Dinner $1, Jumbo Shrimp Dinner $1.25, Walleyed Pike Dinner $1.10.”

The Fourth Avenue building was destroyed by fire and reopened in 1971. In 1972, an Austin Daily Herald article stated: “Located at 701 4th Ave NE, Klagges new ice cream store re-opened in September, 1971, after a fire destroyed the building at the same location. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. William Wilkinson, Klagges sells homemade ice cream, meals to eat in the car and to take out.”

In 1988, Dave and Tam Christopherson purchased the Klagges business and offered a complete breakfast, lunch and dinner menu.

I also found an advertisement for Klagges in Oak Park Mall that ran in the Austin Daily Herald in 1982. That ad lists owner Phil Buck, a variety of menu choices and 20 flavors of ice cream. I’m sure someone will tell me if there were two competing Klagges ice cream shops in the 1980s—it’s sure looks that way to me.

 This Week at the HHH

•Monday: Pizza Ranch Tip Night. Please plan to eat at the Pizza Ranch. All tips plus 10 percent of sales will benefit the HHH Autism programs such as Circle of Friends Day Camp and All Access Community Explorations.

•Wednesday: ASD Family Respite Night at the HHH. Call 433-4243 for more information.

 Coming Soon

•4th Avenue Arts Triathlon: Offered by the Austin Public Library, Historic Paramount Theatre and the HHH on Wednesday, Aug. 22. This free event is a chance to exercise your arts at three locations and have fun will experiencing visual arts, poetry and performance. Call the library at 433-2391 for details.

•Battle of Birch Coulie: Lecture by author John Christgau on this Dakota War battle in 1862 in Renville County, Minn. This presentation is offered by the Austin Public Library, Mower County Historical Society and the HHH at noon on Wednesday. It’s free and open to the public.