It’s become a tradition for me, now in is third year, to share these photos and story on June 20. Nope, I’m not celebrating the longest day of the year, or the start of summer, although those are certainly worthy of such. Nope, I’m raising my mug of root beer to honor A&W on its 102nd birthday! The story goes that on June 20, 1919, a humble little root beer stand opened on a hot day in Lodi, California. Roy Allen’s frosty beverage, sold for a nickel a mug, would become the foundation of the A&W root beer chain of restaurants. Some 13 summers ago, in the Adirondack Mountain town of Wilmington, New York, I happened upon a vintage 1966 A&W restaurant, a charming roadside relic if there ever was one. I stopped here on a chilly late August day; it can get pretty cold up this way in the late summer — the town appropriately enough features a hamlet named North Pole. It’s a happy memory. I still keep the glass A&W mug I bought that day in the freezer, nice and frosty, ready to make a serving of root beer (or a more potent potable) extra special. Since this visit, I’ve shot several more vintage A&Ws, including one today in Cortland, New York, so don’t be surprised if you see another one pop up here soon. #retrologist #adirondacks #awrootbeer #aandw https://www.instagram.com/p/CQXEwV7L6ed/?utm_medium=tumblr
