R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press At Jim’s Dari-Kreme in Escanaba, owner Trevor Sebeck prepares a unicorn sundae.

ESCANABA — In North Escanaba, at the corner of Washington Avenue and 12th Avenue North, up a couple stairs and inside a glass-fronted cabinet, a 1935 photograph of Arthur Lanouette Grocery looks out at patrons of Jim’s Dari-Kreme. Though the storefront in the aged photograph, which came from the Delta Historical Society, reads “Miss Minneapolis Flour,” the building is pretty recognizably the same one that’s been dishing out soft-serve ice cream for 66 years. Current owner Trevor Sebeck said that the hand-painted flour ad is still underneath the siding that now covers the false front.

Through most of the 1950s, it continued to be a grocery store. In 1958, Jim Ungers bought the building on the corner in Northtown from Clarence and Kay Johnson and turned it into an ice cream shop.

Jim’s Dari-Kreme began with soft-serve, and that continues to be the base of almost all of their offerings.

Ungers operated the business for a period of around 10 years before selling it to Donald and Thelma Cousineau, who ran it for about another decade.

Dona LaPorte entered her era as the owner for the longest span in 1979. Sebeck said that most of the changes to the building itself and the menu took place during her time.

In 2005, Sebeck began working at Jim’s Dari-Kreme. LaPorte considered him family, and when she passed away in 2020, the shop was willed to her grandchildren and Sebeck.

Austin St. Vincent (LaPorte’s grandson) and Sebeck ran Jim’s Dari-Kreme together from 2021 to 2023. This year, the pair decided on a transition to make Sebeck the sole owner.

As it turns out, there’s a lot that can be done with soft-serve ice cream. Not only are there practically countless combinations of sundae and avalanche toppings, there are waffle and sugar cones that may be dipped in any of six flavors. Ice cream can used to make shakes, malts, floats, and ice cream pies. Jim’s Dari-Kreme also serves Slush Puppies — icy, non-dairy treats — and also smoothies, which are made by blending slush with ice cream.

Many of the specialty treats, like the Pothole sundae, were added a few years ago and became regular items. Sundae Nachos are a newer construction — ice cream over waffle cone pieces — and can be topped with whatever the customer chooses.

“The menu changes every year. We try different things,” said Sebeck. “Dona came up with the Teddy Bear Shake and E.T. Sundae.”

Topped with Reese’s, the favorite candy of the silver screen alien, the E.T. Sundae began as a Halloween joke, Sebeck said.

Halloween was a holiday that LaPorte made a point to recognize, Sebeck said. Perhaps even a bigger date of note, though, is the onset of summer vacation.

“Every year for the last day of school for Escanaba, we throw an annual pajama party,” Sebeck said. “We usually try to do some kind of a function outside.”

A city fire truck, hot dogs from Bobaloon’s, and a clown making balloon animals have all attended the last day of school party at the Dari-Kreme.

Four creamy varieties are available on any given day. Chocolate, vanilla and blue moon are always on tap, plus a fourth that rotates each week, beginning on Monday and staying on through Sunday. Beginning today, the flavor of the week is pistachio.

In addition to ice-cream-cone-shaped collages of photos taken at Jim’s Dari-Kreme throughout the years, a calendar marking lesser-known holidays also hangs on the wall. Ones that relate to ice cream are highlighted and sometimes inform menu decisions — German Chocolate Cake Day was on June 11; Sebeck made German Chocolate the flavor of the week from the 10th to 16th.

One flavor he’s looking forward to introducing will line up with National Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day on July 1. It’ll be pancakes and syrup and was mixed in-house.

While things may be slightly different week to week, Jim’s Dari-Kreme hasn’t changed much over the last 66 years. Sebeck noted that the building was raised up a couple feet at one point, and all the electrical wiring and equipment was replaced about ten years ago, and the building got a new roof last year.

Whether a person has known and loved Jim’s Dari-Kreme, or perhaps hasn’t visited yet, they will be issued the same message as they pass the sign on the side of the building: “If you can’t stop, smile as you go by.”