66 Years and Counting
Chamber Vice President Gina Gibson (L) and Tareena Horton (R) presented a plaque from the Chamber of Commerce to Sandy Curry owner/operator (3rd from left) with Teresa Hamlett (2nd from left) in front of the Freeze as it looks today. Photo by PJ Martin
By PJ Martin
Editor
The Herald-News
On August 31, 1958, a couple named Gene and Geneva Wyatt opened a small drive-in restaurant on the outskirts of Edmonton. That drive-in was Gene’s Freeze which most folks around here simply call ‘The Freeze’.
In those days, a carhop took the order and brought it out to your car. Many young girls and boys worked their first job as carhops after school at the Freeze and it also became a hang-out for the kids on the weekend and after ballgames.
As time went by, the drive-in went out of style so sometime in the early 60s, the dining room was added. A bit later another addition named Gene’s Skating Rink was added. It was located in a building directly behind the Freeze. The rink became the place you wanted to be on Friday and Saturday nights and several local musicians played there during the 60s and 70s.
What started as a drive-in surrounded by fields of farmland is now front and center to one of the busiest highways coming into town, Highway 68-80 and the Freeze is still run by the Wyatt family. Sandy Wyatt Curry is the daughter of Gene and Geneva Wyatt and the current owner and operator of the Freeze.
In the last few years, Sandy has added BBQ to the menu and on Friday and Saturday, BBQ is featured along with the rest of the menu. They also have a BBQ trailer that travels to events.
You just can’t beat the down-home friendly feeling you get when you stop by the Freeze. You won’t get that feeling at a McDonalds.
Sixty-six years later the Freeze is still the best place to get a made-to-order burger and fries, a handmade milkshake, or a banana split. It’s also the favorite place for many workers around town to stop and have lunch.
After all these years, another generation stops by before a ballgame to grab a burger and takes their kids to the rink on the weekend.
Happy 66th Anniversary and let us all wish The Freeze many more generations to come!
This is how Gene’s Freeze looked when it opened on August 31, 1958. The photo is dated April 1959 and standing at the window are Geneva and Gene Wyatt, and Margaret Harper. Photo courtesy of the Wyatt Family
The Freeze offers bar-b-que on Fridays and Saturdays. Photo by PJ Martin
I used to visit relatives in Edmonton growing up in the 80’s and I loved the burgers at Gene’s. Today, decades later, I was fortunate enough to be in Edmonton and find it was still open and the burgers and fries were as good as I had remembered. They also let me try out some of their BBQ offerings and now I’m torn on which to get the next time I’m in town. It was all so good!