All American Barrel "O" Fun

A friend got a great write-up in today's newspaper.

Barrel shaped for fun Ice-cream, burger stand is on a roll

By Scheri Smith The Courier-Journal

When Mark Beam saw a vacant, barrel-shaped building on Dixie Highway more than 12 years ago, he heard opportunity knocking.

Beam, then 43, had just been laid off from two factory jobs and was looking for a new career. The barrel building, which had wheels and had been used as a mobile barbecue restaurant, sparked an idea. "I just wanted something unique," he said.



Beam turned that old building into the Barrel of Fun ice-cream and burger stand. The red-and-white striped barrel, which is 12 feet high and 10 feet in diameter sits like a beacon at Cooper Chapel Road and Smyrna Parkway.

Beam has modified the barrel over the years, removing the wheels and building a kitchen and covered pavilion on the back. Today there are picnic tables too -- but no indoor seating.

The stand has become a community hangout and a favorite of children and adults, alike, said Tonie Beam, Mark Beam's mother.

Tonie Beam, 75, who lives on Eastern Parkway, works at the Barrel daily. She retired 12 years ago from the Planning Commission, where she was a draftsman, and said she wanted to help her son.

"I just do this and it keeps me off the streets," she said, laughing. "It's fun meeting all the people. It's kind of like your neighborhood bar."

But the big difference is the Barrel is a great place for ice cream, she said.

Besides soft-serve and regular ice creams, the Barrel also features burgers and hot dogs. Most items on the menu range from $1.35 to $3.95. The Barrel is open from April to October.

For Michele Kelien, 39, the Barrel has been a weekly pleasure since it opened. Kelien, who owns a trophy shop and lives in Hollow Creek, said she eats there two or three times a week.

"Their burgers are the best burgers in the world," she asserted. "The prices are unreal," and the location adds to its popularity, she said.

It's within walking distance of some neighborhoods, she said. "I see a lot of the same people there."

There are many repeat customers, Mark Beam said, but the Barrel also draws people from out of town.

Tonie Beam said the business has repeat customers from Chicago who come to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby.

The operation is a family business. Beam's two children, wife, niece and sister-in-law also work the stand. He also hires neighborhood youngsters. Five began working in high school. Three of those have continued working through college.

David Holloway, 42, who lives near the Barrel, stopped by last week to enjoy a hot dog for lunch. A civil engineer originally from Florida, Holloway said he was introduced to the Barrel by his wife.

"It's homey, and the Barrel's neat," he said. "It's all-American."