Guest post: Steven Skolaski on Rennie’s grand opening
By Steven F. Skolaski
Steven F. Skolaski serves as a member of the board of directors for the UW Foundation and is the president of the Oscar Rennebohm Foundation Inc. Steven is a UW Madison alumn of the class of 1971 and is a former employee of the original Rennebohm Drug Store.
It has been nearly a month since the grand opening of Rennie’s Dairy Bar in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery building located on the corner of University and Randall, which also happens to be the site of the former Rennebohm Drug Store #1.
SOAR leaders gather at Rennie’s Dairy Bar at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.
At the grand opening, guests were invited to partake in every child’s dream: unlimited samples of all three organic ice creams flavors, chocolate, vanilla and mixed berry. They all loved the event and really enjoyed the atmosphere of the soda grill created by Wisconsin Union and its food director Carl Korz and his staff.
As I reflect on all of the fun and excitement of this opening of Rennie’s, I must acknowledge that initially some people had reservations about the naming, including the Oscar Rennebohm Foundation. It has been 32 years since Rennebohm Drug Stores sold to another drug store chain and the name changed to reflect new ownership. Since then, many people have asked about recipes for some of the store’s iconic foods like Hot Fudge Mary Jane’s, the grilled Danish, the chicken soup and the Bucky Burger. And many Madisonians still say, “I am going down to Rennie’s,” when they refer to visiting their present-day drug store.
However, I have heard from so many people who are not only pleased but are thankful with the dignified and professional way that WARF, Wisconsin Union and Babcock Dairy plant have opened and operated Rennie’s Dairy Bar. Many former Rennebohm Drug Store employees and customers have told me they plan to soon visit and enjoy the new treats! Rennie’s opening has reminded us all that no one owns the rights to the name “Rennie’s.” It truly is just a fond memory filled with stories of the food, loyal employees and of course, faithful customers. And the Wisconsin Union has honored us all by recreating this.
For more information about Rennie’s, I invite you to read several articles about the dairy bar’s history, grand opening and prospective future:
A new Rennie’s opens but without gashouse eggs by Doug Moe
The scoop on Babcock ice cream? It’s gone organic at retro Rennie’s by Brianna Wilson
A Dairy Delight: Rennie’s Dairy Bar offers organic ice cream by Nancy Christy and Neil Heinen
