In 1957, Roscoe Davis opened the first Alabaster Dairy Queen located on the corner (to the right side of Shelby Baptist) where Arby’s is presently located.

By July 1960 Thomas Cairns was the new owner. The Cairns name is synonymous with that long-standing franchise. Most of us remember DQ in its many years located straight across from the hospital. Who could forget their own family recipe for onion rings?

Cairns and his wife had four sons – Nick, Tad, Christopher and Brian. Tad was in the Thompson School system when his Mom got her teaching certificate from Montevallo College. When the Montevallo Public School System gave her a job, she took the younger ones to school with her. Tad became a UM college student himself in 1961.

At UM Tad was “caught” and blackballed because of his involvement with one of the infamous “panty raids” of the 60’s. (I nearly cracked up when he told me this). He also said when you were “blackballed” back then it was very difficult to get accepted anywhere else! Finally, he went to Livingston (now the University of West Alabama) and finished in 1967.

Tad officially took over DQ in 1974. When asked about when he planned to enter retirement he said he “still likes to eat.”

Cairns, keeper of the curly top cone, said, “Work is the best four letter word I know!”