Sundry Seeks State Recognition

Every community has its history. There are museums and there are informal collectors who have living museums off the main road.

And there is living history a community refuses to let die. That is the story of the Potter Sundry and the Tin Roof Sundae.

According to Wikipedia.org, the Tin Roof Sundae was created in 1916. The "lab" was the Potter Drug Co., owned by Jame Earl Thayer. The designer of the slathering concoction of chocolate and vanilla ice creams, chocolate syrup, peanuts and marshmallow cream spilling over the sides of a soda fountain glass, is Harold Dean "Pinky" Thayer. Pinky worked at the soda fountain as a teenager.

Kendra Mitchell, who operates The Potter Sundry with her husband Thomas, is seeking State recognition for the sweet visit into history. She will be in Lincoln tomorrow, Feb. 27, to testify in a hearing on a bill recognizing Pinky and the long history of the Tin Roof Sundae. She has compiled a scrap book showing more than 14 brands of commercial ice cream with a Tin Roof flavor.

She has reached out to Sen. Steve Erdman, R-Bayard, for support of making the Tin Roof Sundae the official sundae of the State of Nebraska.

"What a privilege it is for me to help one of our constituents in Western Nebraska get recognition for what has become an American tradition in ice cream! LR 282 celebrates Harold Dean Thayer and the Potter Sundry as the original creators of the Tin Roof Sundae and designates it as Nebraska's official sundae. And, nobody makes it better than the Potter Sundry. Every American needs to try Nebraska's greatest sensation in ice cream," Sen. Erdman said.

According to LR 242, the Tin Roof Sundae was named after the tin roof of the Potter Drug Company. The tin roof was brought back to public admiration after the false ceiling was removed in facility renovation several years ago. The resolution says Pinky was 14 when he created the Tin Roof Sundae.

The Tin Roof Sundae draws a lot of curiosity. Mitchell says they make more than 3,100 Tin Roof sundaes in 2019; more than 100 sundaes, and slices of pie, during the Tour De Nebraska stop in June 2019.

The Potter Sundry is part of a community historic preservation effort. An historic foundation was formed when the Sundry closed several years ago. The foundation was formed to help return the Sundry to its historic beauty and maintain importance in the community. The Sundry is decorated with original display cases, a tin roof from the original period and an historic bar behind the counter.

Mitchell said she heard about the Tin Roof Sundae when they move to Potter. Her first impression was probably not so different from her customers.

"O my gosh. How do you eat it!" she said.

The uniqueness of the sundae starts with the tradition and is carried on with the attention to quality: good ice cream, a high-quality marshmallow sauce, the best chocolate sauce and of course Spanish on top.