Under its third ownership since its 1947 start, ice cream stand in Oswego caters to about 100,000 patrons per season
By Tom and Jerry Caraccioli
Historically, “the loop” was the turn-around spot for the local trolley heading in and out of the town of Oswego in the early- to mid-20th century.
Today if you ask an Oswegonian what “the loop” is, you’re sure to get a quick and resounding answer — “Rudy’s and Bev’s.”
While an order of a fish with chips and a Coke from Rudy’s is often an entrée for many who take a ride along the picturesque shoreline of Lake Ontario in southwest Oswego on any given summer evening, no trip around the loop is really complete without satisfying one’s sweet tooth with an ice cream from Bev’s.
Formally known as “Bev’s Dairy Treats,” the 1,200 square foot ice cream “emporium” has been serving up summer treats to locals, SUNY Oswego college students and visitors for nearly eight decades.
The original founder and owner was the family of Beverly (Mulcahey) Fragale, who died in 2020 at 88. Bev Mulcahey was 15 years old when her parents opened Bev’s Dairy Treats in 1947. The Mulcaheys got all their kids started in business and Bev wanted to run the ice cream stand. What started out as a 12×15 foot enclosed shack-like building from across the street where the campsites stood, turned into a business that Bev ran for more than 40 years. In 1984, the “shack” underwent a renovation that resulted in the Bev’s that is known today, more than four times bigger than its original structure.
In 1990, Ron Opanhoske assumed ownership and ran the seasonal business for 31 years adhering to a simple business philosophy: buy quality products and sell ice cream and other products at a reasonable price so that average individuals and their families can afford a treat.
The business always catered to people’s likes and didn’t try to get too fancy. Opanhoske also knew the sunsets over Lake Ontario and the college were and remain big reasons for the success of Bev’s.
“We had 10 hard ice cream flavors,” Opanhoske said. “They were the best sellers. Same thing with the soft ice cream. It was vanilla, chocolate and strawberry pretty much. Creamsicle was a big seller, too.
“You could have the same ice cream stand on a side road and it would do no business. You have to have a draw and not just the ice cream business. The lake is the draw. Rudy’s is a complement to Bev’s and that’s part of it. If people aren’t coming out for an ice cream, they’re coming out for a hot dog, hamburger or fish fry beforehand and then they finish it off with an ice cream. They complement each other.”
After being under the ownership of Opanhoske, the nearly 80-year-old ice cream business was most recently sold in 2020 to life-long Oswego resident, businessman and entrepreneur Marty Faul, who also owns and operates “Marty’s Heating and Cooling” HVAC company.
“In the early 1980s when I was a kid, we use to walk from Hamilton Homes [East 10th Street in Oswego], go through the college and out past Bev’s near Snake Swamp Road and then make our way back,” Faul reminisced. “It was always a thing for me when we would be waiting in line for ice cream to think how cool it would be to someday own Bev’s. After we ended up buying it, it was surreal. I couldn’t really believe that I actually owned Bev’s. It’s nostalgic. And not many people are going to own it in our lifetime.”
Upon taking over Bev’s, the adage of giving the customer what they want continued to ring true for Faul as well. Though he expanded on the flavors and number of soft serve dispensers, he hasn’t changed a formula that has been successful for as long as Bev’s.
“When we bought Bev’s, we had three soft serve machines and 10 hard ice cream flavors,” Faul said. “Now, we have 40 hard flavors and eight soft serve machines.” He estimates his ice cream stand caters to about 100,000 patrons per season.
And despite a drop in business during May when the college students pack up and return home for their summer vacation, business picks back up after the local kids get out of school in June for the summer months.
“Like any business, if you have satisfied customers you’ll probably do well because word of mouth is your best sales pitch,” Opanhoske said.
That is especially true when you sell a cold, delicious treat in the middle of a hot summer on the shores of a Great Lake while looking at one of the world’s most beautiful sunsets.
Tom and Jerry Caraccioli are freelance writers originally from Oswego, who have co-authored two books: “StrikingSilver: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team” and “BOYCOTT: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.”
