A campaign is underway to spotlight the legacy of a sweet summer spot in the village of Lake Nebagamon. The online request to collect memories of the Dairy Queen is fueled by fears that it could close or lose its name. The Lake Nebagamon Dairy Queen opened for business in spring 1952, according to a Superior Telegram article. Its future as a seasonal Dairy Queen store is uncertain, according to Jeffrey Bojar, who launched a Facebook campaign Sept. 10 to collect stories about the longtime business. Bojar helped manage the seasonal business this summer and his family helped staff it. The franchise has been owned by Lake Nebbie Treats LLC out of Ashland for five years. The business was listed for sale through Re/Max Commercial last spring. A spokesman for Lake Nebbie Treats LLC said that while people were interested in buying it, they were told that to transfer the Dairy Queen franchise it would need to be a year-round business. The business is not for sale, but the owner is weighing their options, according to the spokesperson. Bojar and Jim "JK" Koretz, who lives next to the business, said they were also told by the American Dairy Queen Corp., the Bloomington, Minnesota-based company that franchises Dairy Queen Restaurants, that if it sold, the new owner would need to turn the summer ice cream shop into a year-round business to retain the name. Another option would be to buy the building and turn it into an independent ice cream parlor, Bojar said. A spokesperson for the American Dairy Queen Corp. told the Telegram "there is no strategy to convert all seasonal DQ restaurants to year-round DQ restaurants." When asked what the policy was for new franchisees taking over existing stores, the spokesperson responded: “While contracts between American Dairy Queen Corporation and franchise owners are confidential, we have many seasonal locations that currently use and will continue to use the DQ name.” The spokesperson debunked local lore claiming Lake Nebagamon Dairy Queen is the first in the state. “There are several DQ restaurants in Wisconsin that are older than the Lake Nebagamon location,” the spokesperson said, but didn't have a list on hand. Concerned over the future of the iconic business, Bojar has been collecting stories about the Lake Nebagamon Dairy Queen and what it means to people. By Friday, Sept. 13, 135 people had shared memories of the store through a form shared on the "Dairy Queen (6896 S Lake Ave., Lake Nebagamon, WI)" Facebook page. People know it’s officially summer when the Dairy Queen opens, said Cassie Harvey, who grew up in Lake Nebagamon. Her family has been visiting the shop for generations. Her father, 62, went there as a child. So did Harvey. “I’d get dropped off at my grandma’s house. I’d walk down there. I was supposed to get lunch but I usually spent my money on ice cream,” Harvey said. The mom who now lives in Poplar brings her children swimming at the Lake Nebagamon beach and often lets them talk her into ice cream — Dilly Bars for them and a Blizzard for her. “Lake Negagamon’s a huge summer community and that’s like, a staple of it,” she said. Bojar and Koretz said the Lake Nebagamon Dairy Queen's true treasure lies in the sense of community it creates. “Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the whole town connects at the Dairy Queen and everybody runs into each other and they make the personal connections and make new friends at the Dairy Queen window,” Koretz said. “It’s neat to be the best part of somebody’s day,” Bojar said. Every Wednesday, Koretz stops by a Dairy Queen. It’s a throwback to his days as a camper at Camp Nebagamon when they would head into the village on Wednesdays and get ice cream. “There’s literally thousands and thousands of campers from Camp Nebagamon that have visited that Dairy Queen,” Koretz said. The village's population triples during the summer, according to Mickey Christenson, board president of the Nebagamon Community Association, and the Dairy Queen is a summer gathering spot. “Losing a part of our community identity would be deeply emotional for everyone,” Christenson said. He extended a welcome to anyone with decision-making authority to visit Lake Nebagamon in the summer. “Enjoy the water sports, hear the laughter coming from the beach … and most importantly enjoy some ice cream at our favorite summer gathering spot where everyone is welcome,” Christenson said. People can share their memories of the store through the online form. Whether their words will make a difference or not remains to be seen, Bojar said. The form includes a question asking what the store should be named if it becomes an independent ice cream shop. There’s nothing quite like ice cream on a hot sunny day. Residents and tourists have been visiting Lake Nebagamon for decades, enjoying ice cream throughout the Summer. But now, Lake Nebagamon residents are trying to save their Dairy Queen, from changes to their local hot spot. The Lake Nebagamon Dairy Queen isn’t open year-round. Residents like Cassie Harvey says there’s just something special about it, because its been around for generations. “The Dairy Queen has its legacy here and I’d love for that to stay like that. As a kid, I’d walk down from my grandma’s house down to the Dairy Queen. I was supposed to get lunch, but I’d usually get ice cream,” Harvey said. “Now I do the same thing with my kids. We go visit grandma and then we go down to the beach, swim, Dairy Queen and we go home every time.” According to residents if this Dairy Queen were open year-round, there wouldn’t be enough profits for it to stay open. But members of the Lake Nebagamon community have started a grassroots effort to save their Dairy Queen to remain as is. One resident, Jim Koretz, says he spoke with the American Dairy Queen Corporation. He says they want to modernize how Dairy Queen grill and chill locations look and operate. “This Dairy Queen does not fit their make and model of what they’re trying to do with their thousands of other stores,” Koretz said. “Making a hard and fast policy of having transfers of ownership be required to be open 12 months just doesn’t work here in Lake Nebagamon. While there could be another ice cream store here, I’m sure it would be very successful. But there’s something special about Dairy Queen. I wish that Dairy Queen International felt as strongly as we do.” WDIO News did reach out to the American Dairy Queen Corporation to comment about the concerns from residents. They released a statement saying, “The DQ restaurant in Lake Nebagamon is temporarily closed for the season. Contracts between American Dairy Queen Corporation and franchise owners are confidential. We can share that we look forward to the location opening next season.” The Lake Nebagamon Dairy Queen’s Facebook page people are sharing their summer memories eating ice cream on a hot day. But also sharing ideas on how the Lake Nebagamon Dairy Queen can continue into the future. For other stories in northwest Wisconsin you can read more here. 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