NORTH SEWICKLEY TWP. — A cool annual local tradition has ended.
Residents of northern Beaver County and southern Lawrence County know the first day of spring is not decided by the calendar; the season doesn't officially start until the yearly opening of J&T Drive-In custard stand along Route 65. That was until this year.
Eager customers were surprised last week when they drove up to the North Sewickley Township lot expecting some refreshments and instead found a sign thast read, "Thank you for 69 great seasons. Gone fishing."
Owner DeWitt Krepps, 68, said, "I closed because for the last year my heart hasn't been in it, and that is not a good way to run a business. I've neglected my house and my family for 50 years, so I have a lot of catching up to do."
Krepps added he indeed will be doing some fishing because he likes it, but hasn't been able to do it for 40 years.
News that the iconic J&T Drive-In closed created shock waves across the social media. Krepps said he received 180,000 comments on his Facebook page by late last week, and it hasn't slowed down.
"Only God can create a response like that. We are so grateful. The people here have been so great," he said.
But the family's custard legacy is continuing in the area. Krepps has been helping his son, J.D., at Forbush Drive-In at 3462 Ellwood Road in Shenango Township, where J.D. continues to serve customers their favorite cold treats. Forbush's opened in 1950.
DeWitt and Donna Krepps posted this message on their Facebook page, "Deep thinking about our stage in life, we have decided to retire from our ice cream life. We hope you have enjoyed our 69-year run of a great product that our family enjoyed serving to you. The Lord has blessed us richly and we hope you have enjoyed sharing it with us. Our son will be opening the other location near New Castle, Forbush Drive-In."
In 1975, when DeWitt returned to Beaver County after serving in the Navy, he joined his father, John DeWitt Krepps, at the J&T Drive-In that began in April 1949 when newly married couple, John DeWitt Krepps and Thelma Forbush, founded the original J&T stand just yards away from the current structure.
The business had old continuous flow machines that meant they had to hand mix and then add ingredients. The machines are antiques that Krepps, who enjoys mechanical challenges, maintained. It is their special recipe that keeps the customers coming back for the frozen custard. The difference between ice cream and custard is that custard contains egg yolk that gives it the extra creamy texture that brings out the flavors. There were many flavors to choose from but the favorites were chocolate, vanilla, black raspberry and butter pecan, and they were made fresh every day. Their big sellers were cones, milkshakes and banana splits, the very treats that were offered 69 seasons ago.
In 2013, John DeWitt Krepps died at age 84 on the season’s opening day and Thelma died at 85 just three months later.
“My dad loved this place. He would talk to everyone,” DeWitt Krepps shared in a May 2016 Beaver County Times story. “He always treated the customers really, really well.”
And he and his staff of 14 continued to do the same for the years since.
“We aim to put a smile on the faces of our customers. We treat everyone the way my dad treated them,” Krepps said.