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Our 43RD Year • Issue No. 11 • March 19, 2026
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Shelby Dairy Queen satisfying sweet tooths for over half a century By Alan Hodge “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.” That old saying definitely applies to the feeling countless folks in the Shelby area have satisfied for over 50 years at the Dairy Queen at 814 S. DeKalb St. Not only does the Shelby DQ have an amazing array of ice cream treats, it’s also known far and wide for their delicious hot dogs, burgers, and other hot foods available from the grill. According to Cleveland County History blog at Wordpress, the first Dairy Queen in Shelby opened in 1953. It was operated by William and Edna Mae Aaron. It was located at 620 S. Lafayette St. Circa 1959, the business was moved to 100 Interchange Blvd. The Aarons operated the DQ until 1965 when it was sold to Gordon and Hazel Bell. The Bells sold it to Cecil and Millie Rachels in 1971. The Rachels also owned Twin Pigs restaurant on S. Dekalb Street.
The current Dairy Queen at 814 S. DeKalb St. (Photos by Alan Hodge)
“I was 21 years old when daddy bought the franchise,” Milton said. “I did every job. I waited on customers, mopped, cleaned the bathrooms and cooked. Back then, we just sold ice cream, hot dogs, and chips. In 1974, we got a grill and started serving hamburgers.” The DQ has gone through several moves and building styles. From 1972-1977 the DQ was housed in a building with the iconic Eskimo on top. Wendy’s bought that property and paid the Rachels enough to move down the hill to S. DeKalb St. and into a building with a red roof and chaletstyle of architecture. The current, “modern” style building was constructed in 2008. No matter the architecture or location, folks have flocked to Shelby DQ in droves. According to Rachels, the Shelby DQ has been number one in North and South From 1972-1977 the Shelby Dairy Queen looked like this one in Charlotte, which is the oldest one in North Carolina. The first and oldest Dairy Queen in NC is located at 2732 Carolina sales for the Wilkinson Blvd in Charlotte, built in 1947. Opened by Preston and Irene Aaron, this last 18 years. Going to Shelby DQ location is the third oldest in the Southeast and remains in operation as a classic walkup, non-grill stand, featuring a historic “Eskimo girl” sign. (Strange Carolinas Photo) is also a generational After Cecil’s death in 1975, his wife Millie married Bill Nettles but continued to work in the restaurant until son Milton Rachels took ownership. Now, over half a century later, Milton is still at the helm of the Shelby Dairy Queen. Milton talked about the early days at DQ.
TODAY!
Milton and his daughters Lynne and Kristen (not pictured) keep the Dairy Queen operating smoothly.
Customers Ruby (left) and Caroline enjoying some Dairy Queen favorites including the highly popular Blizzard.
thing. “We have customers now whose parents brought them in when they were children,” Rachels said. “Now, those former children are bringing their grandchildren in.” Rachels shared a heartwarming story about times when the
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DAIRY QUEEN!
Eskimo-topped DQ didn’t have inside seating. “We just had a sliding window where people would place their orders,” he said. “Sometimes I would let customers hand me the kids through the window and I would let them See DAIRY QUEEN, Page 2
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