More than 20 Dairy Queen officials, including the president and the granddaughter of the man who started the first franchise 71 years ago, visited Joliet Friday to commemorate the start of the soft-serve ice cream legacy.
In November, the Joliet City Council granted local landmark status to the nondescript, whitewashed building at 501 N. Chicago Street, where cones were first peddled for as little as 5 cents.
On June 22, 1940, Sherb Noble opened a Dairy Queen there and grossed a whopping $4,000 in revenues his first season. He made $88 on his most profitable day at the shop, which sits along the historic Route 66.