Whipping appetites into shape

Returning from spring break got a little bit sweeter as students discovered the reopening of Decorah’s ice cream hot spot, The Whippy Dip. Serving a variety of hot and cold treats, The Whippy Dip is a popular, inexpensive stop for students and the Decorah community alike.

The Whippy Dip was first opened in 1954 by a man named Mr. Baker. According to current owner Rosie Carolan, Mr. Baker was a house-to-house delivery milkman who owned the property around the Whippy Dip. Mr. Baker would deliver milk in the mornings and serve ice cream in the afternoons.

Rosie Carolan, along with her husband Gary, have run The Whippy Dip for the past 25 years.

“Probably my favorite part is meeting people from all over the country,” Carolan said.

With 19 current workers, Carolan said that it can get pretty hectic, but loves the help she gets.

“Most of our girls start working when they are freshmen in high school and work up until they graduate,” Carolan said. “Some even come back to work in the summers.”

Mallory Broderick (‘11) has worked at The Whippy Dip for the past six summers.

“It was my favorite job because I, or maybe the ice cream, could put a smile on people’s faces,” Broderick said.

Broderick also mentioned the loyalty and patience of their customers.

“The customers that go to Whippy Dip are willing to wait in line for 20-30 minutes, which is amazing,” Broderick said. “Some people would turn down a restaurant for that wait.”

A trip to the Whippy Dip can be used as a study break, an after-dinner dessert or a social for residence halls. Paige Armstrong (‘12), a resident assistant, took her second-floor Miller residents on a trip to the Whippy Dip in the fall and reported a great turnout. She is planning another Whippy Dip social for the spring.

“The Whippy Dip is something that almost all Luther students like and, as an RA, one of our goals is to reach out to as many residents as possible with our socials,” Miller said.

While a variety of items on the Whippy Dip’s extensive menu are popular, the most common, especially for Luther students, is the ‘Tornado,’ which is ice cream mixed with the customer’s choice of topping(s). The Whippy Dip is famous for their homemade cookie dough, which is mixed in and placed on top of a cookie dough tornado. Also on the menu are sundaes, dipped cones, regular soft-serve ice cream, walking tacos, hot dogs and a plethora of other tasty items.

The Whippy Dip closes every October for the winter, opening again in March. During their time off, the Carolans spend a majority of their time in Decorah.

“We just enjoy family and look forward to opening again in the spring,” Carolan said.

While Carolan anticipates the Whippy Dip’s reopening, so do its customers, because just as their sign currently reads The Whippy Dip is “the first sign of spring.”