INSIDE SCOOP

1138 Deerland Road, Long Lake, NY 12847

www.custardslonglake.com • Seasonal: check for opening and hours

It was a beautiful day in late August and we were headed home, the long way, from the MotoMarathon ending in Moosehead Lake, Maine, with a side trip to Tupper Lake to visit some trolls. It was time for a break and, amazingly, right ahead of us, at a perfect intersection complete with gas station and large parking area, was Custard’s Last Stand.

We have been in and through Long Lake, NY, many times in our traveling days. As a matter of fact, years ago, we held one of our rallies at the Long Lake Lodge in a previous iteration. In all those years, I do not think we had stopped at Custard’s. I am sorry we had not – we missed out on some history.

As it says on Custard’s Last Stand’s webpage, ‘Established one day in May of 1958 by Barbara Jennings as she glanced out at her children playing on a large pile of sand meant for the Stand’s foundation, where they had thrust a tall strip of lumber with a tattered pillowcase fluttering from the top; she thought to herself, “Well, there is Custard’s Last Stand”.’

This is an excerpt of a very well-written piece by Barbara Jennings in the winter of 1961-62, as she looked back on the previous five years since her family-run business took roots. Giving you a Reader’s Digest version, with four children of varying ages from six to eighteen, Rob and Barbara Jennings decided to build their soft ice cream stand as it would not only furnish summer employment for their teenagers but fill an empty void which their Adirondack resort town of Long Lake sorely needed. Working through the trials and tribulations that most new businesses encounter, they finally served their first cone, which happened to be to their youngest boy Bruce, on July 1, 1958, which was Rob’s birthday. The years went by with the usual mishaps and learning curves. The two teenagers were a great help while the two youngsters, sometimes overlooked, found their place in the business. Over the years, hot dogs, hamburgers, coffee and hot chocolate were added to the menu. The Stand was a summertime venture and Barbara wrote, ‘We would open in May, full of enthusiasm and eager for the season to begin. When the summer reached its peak, we all felt like monkeys in a cage, swinging from machine to machine. By the end of August, everyone was exhausted, irritable and bilious at the sight of chocolate.’

As intended, the earnings from the Stand went towards a college tuition fund. Curiously, Barbara was the first to use it for this when taking several courses at Paul Smith’s College in the fall of 1961. But, with great pride, in September of 1962, their oldest girl Chris entered Skidmore College and, with immense pride, her tuition check was written from ‘Custard’s Last Stand’.­

Today, the Stand is still owned and run by the Jennings family – third generation Noel taking the reins in 2007 - and still a seasonal endeavor, open weekends from Memorial Day to the Summer Solstice, then seven days through Labor Day and Fall weekends after that with sights on Columbus Day. Once the snow flies they are done, as they are literally in a glass house.

They happily scoop Hershey’s ice cream and swirl out some very delicious frozen custard. As their sign says, ‘All frozen custard is ice cream but not all ice cream is frozen custard’. There will always be chocolate, vanilla and twist, with strawberry and Neapolitan a pretty good regular. Dole Whip has been around for some time, with varying flavor options, as well as season frozen custard flavors like Birch Creemee and Bourbon’d Peanut Butter. Their shakes and sundaes are numerous, with either custard or ice cream. Tempting offers include S’Mores: Twist custard, Hershey’s chocolate syrup, marshmallow sauce, graham crackers, whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and a cherry or Dirt: soft chocolate custard, crushed Oreo, gummy worms, whipped cream, chocolate mint sprinkles and a cherry on top. There are a few coffee shakes to keep you awake for your ride and some signature shakes like Caramel Apple for the Fall or Cookies ‘n Cream for any time. And, of course, you can enjoy your frozen treats in cups or cones of every kind.

There are tables to sit and slurp and, as I mentioned, parking right next door at the gas station (as well as a bathroom).

If you find yourself exploring the Adirondacks during the summer months, and riding through Long Lake, make a stop at Custard’s Last Stand – it’s quaint, delicious and full of history.