Robinson ice cream shop destroyed in fire
The exterior of the Original Shake & Twist on Robinson Highway near McDonald, which was destroyed by fire early Wednesday
A state police fire marshal photographs the burned-out interior of the Original Shake & Twist. The business at 956 Robinson Highway near McDonald was destroyed by a fire early Wednesday.
A fire early Wednesday destroyed a Robinson Township ice cream shop hours before the community favorite was scheduled to open for the season.
Firefighters from McDonald were called at 12:39 a.m. to the Original Shake & Twist, 956 Robinson Highway. They arrived on the scene within minutes of receiving the call and found the fire well advanced.
Trooper Kelly Hoyle, a state police fire marshal, was on the scene Wednesday morning. He said he just started his investigation, but it appeared the fire may have started in the kitchen area.
Dale Risker, who has owned the shop for a number of years, was at the Robinson Township supervisors’ meeting Monday night and told the board he planned to open for the season Wednesday and be in full swing by the weekend, said Supervisor Rodger Kendall, board chairman. The shop closed down in the winter months.
Kendall remembers first stopping at the shop for ice cream around 1973 when he was about 8 years old.
“It was the only place in the area and we used to stop there when I was a kid,” Kendall said. “Mr. Risker was not the owner back then and it had several name changes over the years.”
For many years, it was the only place to go for ice cream in the Robinson-McDonald area, Kendall said. In addition to ice cream, Kendall said patrons could also grab a hamburger or hot dog.
“It was where all the ball teams would go,” Kendall said. “I remember getting a big 32-ounce milkshake.”
Mt. Pleasant Township police Chief Lou McQuillan, who grew up in the area, was one of those kids on a baseball team who would visit the ice cream shop after Little League games.
“It has been there for as long as I can remember,” McQuillan said. “We’d stop there for ice cream after we’d win a game.”
Risker, contacted via the shop’s Facebook page, indicated he had no information and asked for respect and time to allow him to take care of some very important matters.
Kendall said he is hopeful Risker decides to rebuild the shop.
“It would be greatly missed if it was no longer there,” Kendall said.
Firefighters were on the scene for several hours. A spokesman for McDonald Volunteer Fire Department said fire officials were not commenting on the fire until the state police fire marshal finished his report.
Assisting were firefighters from Midway, Mt. Pleasant Township and Cecil No. 3 from Washington County as well as Sturgeon from Allegheny County.