Tonight I noticed that the big shutters are up on the windows at the Dairy Queen on Packard, just south of Stadium, signifying closure for the winter season — a particularly early closure by their standards.
This particular location is famous for staying open late into the fall, weeks or months after the Stadium location calls it a year. (I talked it up earlier this year, which seems like a mistake in retrospect.) I typically try to make it there on or near the last day of the season, for the novelty of it. On November 22, 2015, I was the stand’s final customer – a cold, dreary Sunday night when I brought frozen treats home to my family.
I don’t know how long the Dexter location stays open. It’s an outdoor stand like the Packard and Stadium locations, and I would imagine it weatherproofed itself a few weeks back. But I can tell you where you can go right now for a Dilly Bar.
The Ypsilanti location near EMU has plenty of seating, a full menu, and is open nearly year-round. (They usually close from around Christmas until February.)
If the Ypsi store’s too far, or if you’re reading this on New Year’s Day or something and need to get your Peanut Buster on, then you have but one choice: the Saline Dairy Queen on Michigan Avenue. It has an indoor counter, albeit minimal seating, and is open even on nights it probably shouldn’t be open.