SCARBOROUGH — Some early spring snow and colder-than-normal temperatures earlier this week didn’t dampen the spirits of Cheryl Ryan, the new owner of The Dairy Corner.

Ryan was employed at the 612 Route 1 ice cream stand for 15 years before becoming its owner. She bought the business over the winter from Robin Provencher, who operated it for close to 20 years.

“We usually open the first Friday in April,” Ryan said. “Mainers get excited for warmer weather and ice cream. It’s about keeping things how they were. The previous owner opened that weekend and I want to continue as they have done.”

The business was started by Provencher’s parents, who in 1979 bought the site, then a vacant gas station.

“I’ve worked here so long that Robin and her family became family to me,” Ryan said. “I want to continue the business as they intended. It is a Scarborough landmark. I have no intention of making it any different than what it’s been.”

The Scarborough High School graduate said she isn’t planning any major changes, other than introducing some new flavors or occasionally adjusting the menu. The Dairy Corner offers 75 flavors of hard serve, soft serve and frozen yogurt, as well as sundaes, milkshakes and other sweet treats. The business also offers dairy-free and sugar-free options.

Several locally inspired creations have been offered in the past, including Black Point Brew, Blue Point Monster, Higgins Beach High Tide, Purple Piping Plover, Scarborough Beach Bash, Pine Point Party and Maine Lobster Crunch.

The Dairy Corner is open daily, rain or shine, from 11 a.m.-9 p.m, with extended hours in the summer. For more information or a menu of offerings, visit www.thedairycorner.com.

Opening Day on April 5 got off to a chilly start, with temperatures in the 40s. But by the weekend, as things warmed into the upper 50s and lower 60s, it felt more like ice cream weather until snow came Monday. 

“It was great,” Ryan said of the start of the season. “I have great employees and we had a great opening weekend. We got to see a lot of regular customers.”

Michael Kelley can be reached at 780-9106 or mkelley@keepmecurrent.com. Follow him on Twitter: @mkelleynews.

The Dairy Corner at 612 Route 1 in Scarborough had a busy opening weekend April 5-7. The ice cream stand, which offers 75 flavors, is now open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.