1960s Huron Frostop Drive-in Ads

May 26, 1961 newspaper ad

Many local Baby Boomers probably remember the Frostop Drive-in stand that used to be on U. S. 6 just a little bit east of where the highway crosses the Huron River.

The huge, rotating root beer mug really left an impression on me. Little did I know at the time that I was living in the tail end of the Golden Age of roadside architecture and signage.

Strangely enough, I really don't remember if we ever stopped there. We were always on the way to or from somewhere else, it seems – probably Cedar Point. (Besides, we were more likely to stop at the A&W Root Beer stand in Vermilion, which was closer to home.) But the iconic Frostop mug remains a childhood memory.

That well-known mug is nowhere to be found in the ad at left, however, that appeared in the Sandusky Register on May 26, 1961 announcing the impending opening of the drive-in.

Here's another Sandusky Register ad from a few years later; it ran on May 29, 1964. It's funny how root beer always tastes better in one of those frosted mugs.

I'm not really sure when the Frostop Drive-in closed in Huron. Its former location has been the home to Berardi's since 1979.

Courtesy Berardi's

For some history about the Frostop chain, visit the official website. And to find out what some of the old Frostop Drive-ins look like today, stop by the website of RoadsideArchitecture.com.