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-   -   Farrells Ice Cream Parlor (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/farrells-ice-cream-parlor-745192/)

stevesmoker Oct 27th, 2007 12:09 PM

Farrells Ice Cream Parlor
 
I hear Farrells Ice Cream Parlor is back in California. Anybody been there? How does it compare to the Farells of yesteryear? I worked at one in Indiana in '73. I ate ice-cream every work day for an entire year! Sometimes the bus boys finished off the left-over ice cream when a party failed to polish off their "Zoo" - can you imagine?!?! (We'd watch to make sure no one had actually eatten out of the big community "zoo bowl"!) :-)


mary1007 Oct 27th, 2007 01:08 PM

That is wierd, I was just remembering the Farrells here in Miami last week and even asked my husband if he had ever been as a child. It closed about 25 years ago.

TTess Oct 27th, 2007 01:21 PM

Oh my! I went to their website to see where they opened. Santa Clarita - I hope it's still standing after the fire. We're headed to L.A. soon and it's my birthday weekend. I have to stop for a trough but how do we do that when we're bringing the dogs?

I have wonderful childhood memories of Farrells. We went to the Sacramento Farrells, they had two, for every one of our birthdays. As I got older, I could eat a trough all to myself. Do you remember how they sang an "oink, oink" song if you finished a trough?

I remember when an airplane crashed into one of the Farrells in Sacramento - scary, scary. Anyway, thanks for the heads up on an old favorite.

beentheretwice Oct 27th, 2007 02:04 PM

I remember sharing a huge plate of french fries with my girl friends after we were done shopping in the mall. This was in Milwaukee, late 70's, early 80's. On the Zoos!

Pildredge Oct 27th, 2007 02:08 PM

The airplane crashed into the Farrell's in Hayward Ca.
The place never recovered.

lennyba Oct 27th, 2007 04:26 PM

I remember (or think I do) getting a bunch of little plastic animals in my ice cream there.

Shadow Oct 27th, 2007 04:35 PM

I have fond memories of Farrells on Van Nuys Bl. in Van Nuys of course.
It was a tradition Glendale Community College to be taken there the night you tried out and were selected to be a cheerleader...what a fun time!! Great memories!

The dish with all the plastic animals was called "The Trough". Unfortunately, after a kid swallowed and choked on one they took that off the menu.

Shadow

coldwar27 Oct 27th, 2007 05:13 PM

I remember Farrells in Minnesota. Good memories! I would love for them to come back all over!

janisj Oct 27th, 2007 06:23 PM

Pildredge: Unless Farrell's is one extremely unlucky company and planes are always falling on its stores -- the only plane crash into a Farrell's I know of was in Sacramento

http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites...crash_site.htm

Now another small private plane did crashland near a Farrell's in SoCal but did not hit the store itself.

I used to race sports cars and it was tradition after every meet we'd all head to Farrel's and have a Zoo.

dwooddon Oct 27th, 2007 06:32 PM

We had a Farrell's in Missiojn Valley in San Diego when my kids were growing up and it was one of our favorite places when a special treat was in order. Even if you didn't get a banana split or a Trough, their regular sundaes were very large and very good.

Pildredge Oct 27th, 2007 06:48 PM

Janisj; obviously you are correct and that is a great link for me to play with.
The Farrel's in hayward was right in the flight path of Hayward Airport and I would have sworn that was the one! or perhaps a crash near the Farrel's?
Thanks for the correct info...
I also remember my uncle wore a bright blue "jump suit" to Farrell's once as this was a fad shortly in the early 70's, then he died about 6 mos. later. The things we remember and the tricks our minds play
regards, Pil.

321go Oct 28th, 2007 06:59 AM

I still have a Farrells straw hat that one of my high-school friends wore when he worked there.

The plastic animals, the "zoo", and my favorite - the Clown Sundae - what great memories.

P_M Oct 28th, 2007 07:32 AM

Oh gosh, I haven't thought about Farrells in ages!! My grandmother got a huge kick out of the way they would sing Happy Birthday to some unsuspecting person. I will always assocaite Farrells with her memory. :-))

PS That all happened in Houston, and I haven't seen a Farrells in TX in at least 20 years. :-(

sightseer Oct 28th, 2007 07:58 AM

When the Santa Clarita restaurant opened around 10 years ago, a few friends and I stopped by and had to try it out on our way to a baby shower we were attending in the area. We have all known each other since kindergarten, so we had shared birthday parties for many years at Farrell's. If you're in that area, it's definitely worth a visit. We laughed, ate ice scream and enjoyed some childhood memories.

volcanogirl Oct 28th, 2007 08:56 AM

Oh, I love Farrell's. We had one here in Houston and growing up that was always THE spot to have your birthday party - ice skating at The Galleria followed by ice cream at Farrell's! They had a big bass drum they would play when they marched around and sang Happy Birthday. I had almost forgotten all about it. Would love it if it came back!

P_M Oct 28th, 2007 09:25 AM

volcanogirl, that's exactly the Farrells I was talking about!! That was fun indeed. :-D

TTess Oct 28th, 2007 10:08 AM

Pildredge -
Noooooooooooo...it was Sacramento:

http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites...crash_site.htm
8-|

TTess Oct 28th, 2007 10:11 AM

Just read JanisJ's post showing the same link.

Sightseer, thanks for sharing your story about Santa Clarita.

moneygirl Oct 28th, 2007 10:21 AM

Fresno, CA in the Fig Garden Shopping Center... always a treat for birthdays, after youth group at church or for after the movies!

I'd go again in a heartbeat!

volcanogirl Oct 28th, 2007 10:50 AM

Yea, P_M, those are some great memories!


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