When Patrick Lee passed out fliers at Redmond Derby Days for the upcoming Sammamish Valley Festival, he mentioned to people that Theno’s Dairy was “reopening” at the event.
“Kids were grabbing fliers out of my hands,” said Lee of the excited youth.
The beloved 70-year-old Redmond dairy, which specialized in ice cream, closed in May of 2012. Doug Bloor owned the dairy for 33 years and said his decisions to close included road construction at the intersection where they were located, the removal of their back driveway access, the down economy and the rising cost of doing business, according to a letter to the editor he sent to The Woodinville Weekly. The dairy was located at 12248 Woodinville Redmond Road N.E. on Washington Cathedral land.
Theno’s is not reopening in the traditional sense of selling ice cream out of a building. Lee and his nonprofit Bonafide American Mission (BAM) will be offering ice cream out of a rental refrigerated truck at the free festival, which will take place Aug. 16-17 at 16215 140th Place N.E. in Woodinville.
The Theno’s sweet cold concoction with natural ingredients is being made in 21 Acres’ kitchen in Woodinville out of the same ice cream maker that Theno’s used. It’s been transported from the old building, refurbished and installed at 21 Acres, a nonprofit agricultural center that is paying up-front costs for the Theno’s resurgence, Lee said.
If they sell 4,000 scoops at the festival, Lee said that Theno’s will make enough money to continue selling ice cream at other festivals and continue the Theno’s legacy.
Lee said the 21 Acres board of directors are excited to play a role in the Theno’s comeback, which will also feature the usage of the dairy’s famed fiberglass cow.
Bloor will help start the project and Donna Reynolds — whose great-grandparents opened the milk dairy 70 years ago — will aid in the promotions department. (Theno’s Vivian’s Pride ice cream is named after Reynolds’ great-grandmother.)
“It’s her inspiration. It’s her childhood. It’s her memories… just like a lot of younger kids,” Lee said of Reynolds and other ice cream fans.
Reynolds, 25, added: “I’m really excited that everyone who knows Theno’s will be able to share Theno’s with their kids and their friends who have never experienced Theno’s.”
Pete Theno, Reynolds’ grandfather and former dairy owner, passed away in April, and a few weeks later she found out about the Theno’s ice cream project.
“It’s been a true blessing,” she said. “I was so down, and something so good came to lift me up again.”
The Sammamish Valley Festival will feature live music by Country Dave and Friends, pony rides, barbecue, kettle corn, educational booths and more. For more information, call (425) 394-3397.
Lee said that BAM has a mission of face-to-face communication education and people can learn more about the nonprofit by attending the festival.
