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Friday, March 29, 2024

New Cock Robin t-shirt continues to bring back ‘One in a Million’ memories

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Above / Too young to have experienced Cock Robin ice cream stores, these teens couldn’t escape learning the history of Naperville’s independent “One in a Million” enterprise when they visited PN’s 2015 Ribfest Expo Booth.

In July 2012, Positively Naperville introduced its first Cock Robin t-shirt featuring the familiar bird that evokes nostalgic memories of the ice cream store that served signature square dips in Naperville from 1955 to 2000.

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Above / For Christmas 2012, at least one family was outfitted in PN’s first Cock Robin t-shirt! (Photo courtesy Megan Schaeffer)

On July 2, 2015, PN introduced a new version of the popular “One In A Million” image on a bright royal blue shirt. (See photo at top of page.)

The quality t-shirts are printed at ColorBurst Screen Printing, a nonprofit, socially responsible company and a division of  Little Friends, Inc.  Available for purchase at Anderson’s Two Doors East, Oswald’s Pharmacy and online, the Cock Robin t-shirts are designed to help raise awareness for Little Friends, too.  (Note that Little Friends is the organization that hosts the annual Parade of Lights to brighten Hometown Holidays in downtown Naperville.)

Ever since, PN has heard some great tales!

For instance, one family used to travel by canoe on the DuPage River, stopping along the bank to eat at the Cock Robin Restaurant, a place they affectionately renamed “The Naperville Yacht Club.”

Today that site is Fredenhagen Park, dedicated to the memory of Grace and Walter Fredenhagen, the property owners who ran the Cock Robin enterprise and gave the company its name.

Via the Internet, PN has received orders (adult sizes S to 3X Large) from throughout Chicagoland as well as from Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Minnesota and Texas, just for starters. When asked, folks provide their vivid memories as former Cock Robin patrons and/or employees reminiscing about their high school jobs.

After one reader saw the iconic logo, he said, “That’s where my grandparents first met.”

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Above / Even today, Fredenhagen Park, formerly the site of Cock Robin (1955-2000) and Prince Castles (1931-1954) before it, is a place where memories are made at Exchange Club Memories Fountain. (Note the community connection that Exchange Club of Naperville also hosts Ribfest.)

Ice cream for memories!

Stories about Cock Robin, and Prince Castle before it,  are woven into the fabric of Naperville’s cultural geography. In fact, every visit to Fredenhagen Park with its Exchange Club Memories Fountain is a chance to pause and reflect about the ice cream enterprises that once stood there by the Washington Street Bridge adjacent to the Riverwalk.

Cultural geography helps to define how people and things interact and move with one another within a geographic area. People, goods, and services can be influenced by the weather, climatic conditions, language, history, natural resource, sensory perception and cultural phenomena. The Cock Robin t-shirts are starting conversations all over the country that lead back to an independent beginning in Naperville.

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Before the sign came down, Rita Harvard and her brother, Ted Fredenhagen, stood at the site they gifted to the City of Naperville for a park in memory of their parents.

During its run, Cock Robin ice cream stores sold millions of steak burgers, french fries and milk shakes. And, culturally speaking, there are some good reasons why.

Hamburgers, as we know them today, were the common street food of Hamburg, Germany—a few hundred years back. The “er” is possessive in food-translation-speak.

Naperville was settled by many German immigrants bringing their old world traditions with them.

The Midwest shares a similar continental climate with Germany. Drastic changes in seasons, the extremes in hot and cold temperatures and diets are dominated by meat (beef), root vegetables, and potatoes.

Cock Robin evokes many nostalgic memories between family and friends. It’s remembered as a place for special after-school treats, a snack in-between acts at Summer Place Theater, first dates, marriage proposals and celebrations after winning (or losing) a baseball game.

Many enjoyable conversations have resulted after coming upon folks attired in Be ONE in a Million t-shirts from the Jaycees Last Fling to the Class Act II Concert in Fredenhagen Park to the Judd-A-Thon at the Judd Kendall VFW Post.

Two years ago, a Cock Robin t-shirt was presented by Gary Leavenworth to a 100-year-old centenarian who raised his hand during the annual “Singing for Seniors” concert held on the first Sunday in October.

This past weekend, the old and new Cock Robin t-shirts were hanging in Positively Naperville Expo Booth at Ribfest. The image of the familiar bird generated many queries from adult festival-goers, all of whom recounted their memories of the signature Cock Robin square dips and milk shakes.

Folks wondered, “Is Cock Robin back?”

Though the ice cream store has not returned, thanks to generous encouragement of Rita Fredenhagen Harvard, PN’s Cock Robin Project continues on a mission to preserve Cock Robin’s contribution of cultural geography as a local institution to future generations.

Celebrate the history and culture of the independently-owned ice cream enterprise and Naperville Creamery that made its home just north of the Washington Street Bridge for nearly 70 years.

And remember! The third Sunday in July is designated National Ice Cream Day! This year, July 19 will be a great day to wear a Cock Robin t-shirt.

To purchase Cock Robin t-shirts online, click here.

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PN Editor
PN Editor
An editor is someone who prepares content for publishing. It entered English, the American Language, via French. Its modern sense for newspapers has been around since about 1800.

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