Long lines queued up at the DQ on Saturday and Sunday. (Photo/Teresa Norwig.)

Alister Francis celebrated his first birthday at the Moorhead Dairy Queen’s reopening March 1.

Thousands of Dairy Queen fans, from toddlers to great-grandparents, lined up at the corner of Eighth Street and Main Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the first sign of spring – the opening of Moorhead’s original Dairy Queen. According to Troy DeLeon, 1,800 customers were served on Saturday. “By the end of Sunday, we had sold 4,000 items,” he says.
The weekend marked the start of Troy and his wife Diane’s 31st season behind the counter of the store. Over the 76 years since Bob and Phyllis Litherland opened it, the Moorhead DQ has become one of Moorhead’s most popular attractions. Its biggest favorites? “Always, it’s Blizzards,” Troy says. “We make them a little different.”
The Dairy Queen is not only a meeting place for friends and families throughout its season, which runs through late October. It’s a spot where 30 or so teens and young adults, mostly high school and college students, build lifelong friendships during their summer stints at the counter.
“What makes this place really amazing for us is our customers,” the owner emphasizes. “When we see the same faces year after year, along with new ones, it’s really special.”