By the time Dairy Queen opened for the season Monday at 3 p.m., the line ran from the red spoon door handle to the parking lot.
One group of ice cream lovers arrived two hours before the door officially opened.
“Cam, Jake and me did it three years ago. We decided to do it every year,” said Brian Stanton of his two sons, who are in seventh and fifth grade.
Some of their friends have since joined in, including third grader Ben Brown and his grandfather Bob. The kids left school early to reserve their spot in line.
“This is my first year. We escaped school!” Ben said as he waited by the door.
The group began clapping as the blender finally started up, ushering in an Edgartown taste of summer.
Dairy Queen opened later in the season this year because the new owners had to undergo franchise training in Lafayette, Colo. before being able to turn out blizzards and other treats.
Paul Beeson and Kirsten Anderson purchased the business this spring from Christopher Celeste.
The new owners decided to maintain the tradition of opening day beginning in the afternoon to meet the after school rush.
“It’s a lot of fun seeing a lot of familiar faces,” said Mr. Beeson, already hard at work behind the counter. “We promised we’d keep the tradition.”
While the line was mostly filled with Edgartown School students and parents, other Islanders joined in the fun as well.
Alison Norris and her family, who stay in Oak Bluffs every summer, didn’t realize the restaurant was serving customers yet. The family had biked to the restaurant out of habit then joined the line after passing a group of students who told them it was opening day.
“For many of them and their cousins, this was their first long bike ride, from home to Dairy Queen,” Ms. Norris said.
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