BLOOMSBURG FAIRGROUNDS -- All good things must come to an end.
That’s what a family from Sugarloaf is saying after running a stand at the Bloomsburg Fair for 85 years.
The owners of Ague’s Shakes and Malts will serve their last milkshake on Saturday.
Dick Ague says Saturday will be bittersweet. He looks forward to retirement, but his family has been at the fair since 1932 and in the ice cream business since 1896. Even though it’s time to retire, he says the fair will always be in his blood.
When people come to the Bloomsburg Fair, many have their favorite places to stop and eat. For James Rafal of Bloomsburg and his family, Ague’s Shakes and Malts is one of them.
"Milkshakes are one of their favorites, so we've always gone past here and gotten one," Rafel said.
Ague’s is celebrating 85 years at the Bloomsburg Fair, but owner Dick Ague says this is their last year. The family from Sugarloaf sold the stand and is retiring.
"We're getting older. Just the lifting, the carrying, the hours we put in, enough is enough, so it's time for us to sit back and really enjoy life and see what it's all about," Ague said.
When the family started at the Bloomsburg Fair in 1932, they sold ice cream cones for five cents apiece. While the times and prices have changed, the family recipe has not.
Kelly ague is the fifth generation to work at the fair.
"(My) first job was handing out straws," she said.
She is happy to see her parents leave on a high note.
"I'm glad they know when it's time to call it quits and they could sit back and relax and enjoy their grandkids.”
Dick says it will be bittersweet selling his last milkshake on Saturday, but he’s excited.
"It will be nice to see what the fairs are really like. We don't know much about them other than we're here to work, so now it will be time to play."
His customers say they will notice his absence.
"I'm really going to miss Dick. These shakes are the best on the fairgrounds," said Dalton Savage.
Ague says he will even come back next year and help out if the stand’s new owners let him.
