Dairy King serves up smiles and ice cream for Swift Current

SPONSORED CONTENT: Swift Current has many unique flavours, but the sweetest amongst them can usually be found at Dairy King.

The mom-and-pop ice cream shop has been a local favourite since its inception. Over the years, it has continued to bring in new treats, tastes, and tantalizing toppings for its cool confectionaries.

It's rare to see the drive thru at Dairy King shorter than three cars length on a warm evening, with it going as far as looping all the way back around the mini-golf course. 

Running the show and directing the flow at Dairy King is Shonnon Klassen, owner-operator of the store. She has overseen hundreds of families come in and fall in love with everything on the menu, and helped grow it into what it is today.

"About 14 years ago, we noticed that Dairy King was up for lease," recalled Klassen. "We needed to move my husband out of his current job and into something new, so we leased it for the summer. He took it over, and we did some minor fixing up and opened her up that year. That was in 2010, and the rest is history."

At Dairy King, you will be able to find a wide array of flavours. Everything from cookies n' cream to unicorn dreams can be scooped into a waffle cone. Their array of options for their ever-popular twisters will have seasonal options like banana cream pie and regular fan favourites like black forest cake.

Sundaes and shivers draw in folks looking for the delectable and the refreshing on warm evenings, while the keen-eyed amongst the crowd may be able to spot the secret menu, ordering something like The Katie.

"I think I've discovered that more and more as we've gone along, our menu is fairly extensive," said Klassen. "We've come up with all kinds of creative ways to serve the same range of products. We have come up with a lot of unique and creative ideas, and people often come through and go 'I have no idea what to choose because everything looks great!'."

Many of their ingredients are homemade. Folks can count on the toppings and mixings being fresh, cause they can catch them bringing them in to use.

This fresh baked ooey gooey dessert was being sent off to the freezer, to be used in tomorrows treats. 

The girls and boys working the store, usually high school students looking for summertime employment that is flexible, are always smiling and happy to whip up a batch of the good stuff.

"Our timing works out really well for students, and I love being able to give kids their first real job," said Klassen. "You train them, and you help them through some of the obstacles of working through that, and you can answer some questions. I can be a little bit flexible with my hours and stuff too. I can cater to them, and I find that if I'm good to them, then they're good to me."

This team of commendable confectionary creators posed for a picture after a non-stop rush of customers that started at 3 p.m., which lasted until 10 p.m. 

These pies, cakes, and other desserts are mixed specifically for Dairy King, being ready to go at a moment's notice. Rarely will they be out of a favourite topping, only running into some issues in supply with recent dampers from the global supply chain.

The outdoor space is decorated with plenty of open seating. Canopies and covers offer some shade from the sun while keeping a few spots open for those looking to race their melting ice cream under an open sky.

​The atmosphere of ice cream on a warm night with friends and family is hard to beat, especially when it tastes as good as it does at Dairy King.

During the evening, the lights come on, offering strands of bulbs to ensure you can see the smiling faces of friends and family enjoying their treats alongside you and yours.

Not to be missed is the mini-golf course. This putter lane causeway is full of challenging bends, dips, and pits that encourage creative play, while also being open and inviting to all ages. Many families unwind at the end of their day with a round of mini-golf before heading into the store with their scorecards, exchanging them for ice cream and a seat at an open table.

Being handed an ice cream after teeing up a good game of mini-golf is always something to get excited over. 

If you haven't had the chance to experience the sweet splendour of Dairy King just yet, there is still time before the season ends. They are getting ready to roll out some fall flavours, which should help bring out the feeling of the season.

"Fall flavours are always really popular," said Klassen. "We're going to run it a little longer this year because people are always crazy over pumpkin everything. We'll have our pumpkin pie twister, and we'll have the fudgy nutter butter twister and more."

Dairy King will be open until October 29, when they will take a rest and prepare for another great year come the spring. Ice cream lids are open from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and an hour later Friday through Sunday. 

While the evenings are getting darker sooner, the lights are still bright at Dairy King this fall.