Grand Bend business steps back in time

History in 'The Bend' Dipping back into history in Grand Bend after a man recognizes himself in historical photo. Amandalina Letterio

A popular ice cream spot in Grand Bend is giving a blast from the past.

The Dairy Dip opened in the early 1960s and the third generation family owners recently blew up a photo to display on the patio.

The photo of the Dairy Dip was taken back in the early days of the business and the cherry on top is they were actually able to find one of the people shown in the photo.

Leif Petersen returned to the 2023 version of the Dairy Dip and posed in the same location for another photo in front of the poster.

“I have a lot of good memories from Grand Bend and had a lot of good times there. [I] slept on picnic tables, under picnic tables, so yeah, a lot of fond memories,” said Petersen.

Current owner Kendra Pearson said it was nice to connect with Leif and verify some of the information including the year the photo was taken.

“Just to connect to all of the generations of folks who have had a connection to the Dairy Dip. Our own children are now working at the Dairy Dip, fourth generation of Dairy Dippers in our family. Brining that information to our children was important too, that they understand the importance the historical relevance of the Dairy Dip,” said Pearson.

The photo that is now displayed on the building on Grand Bend’s main drag was originally taken when Petersen was 18 years old.