By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Alabaster’s Dairy Queen restaurant in the Colonial Promenade shopping center will reopen its doors on Oct. 1 after closing several months ago.

The restaurant, which originally opened in 1960 on U.S. 31 before moving to the Promenade several years ago, closed in early 2012 after longtime franchisee Tad Cairns retired.

After the store closed, Aimee Komonce said she decided to reopen the restaurant to continue the work Cairns started.

“We thought it was important to not let his legacy go away,” said Komonce, noting she will be the restaurant’s new operator. “Everyone you talk to in Alabaster has some experience with the Dairy Queen.”

Komonce will be attending corporate training sessions for the next couple of weeks before returning to Alabaster to begin hiring “between 40 and 50” restaurant employees.

After attending more corporate training sessions, Komonce said she will work to prepare the restaurant for its Oct. 1 grand opening. Because Cairns operated the restaurant for decades, Komonce said she has invited him to be a part of the grand reopening ceremony.

“That was very important to us,” Komonce said of inviting Cairns to the ceremony.

Komonce said she is looking to continue the restaurant’s community involvement, including its support of local schools.

The restaurant is located on the northern end of the Colonial Promenade near the AmStar movie theater.