Regina’s Milky Way Ice Cream opens for 70th season

One of Regina’s most popular spots is back for its 70th season, welcoming customers with a taste of spring. Damian Smith reports.

As spring approaches and temperatures hit double digits, it was the ideal day for Regina’s Milky Way Ice Cream Shop to kick off its 70th year.

Customers lined up at 11 a.m. to be among the first to grab a sweet treat in 2026. Trio Sandra Deener, Jean Triffo, and Lois Sugai were the first to arrive.

Deener, who moved to Regina as a teenager in 1967, has been a regular ever since.

“In the summer, I walk around and I pick up garbage and all around the back alleys here,” she said. “I even came here when they opened in December and got some ice cream.”

While ice cream is the shop’s staple, it also serves hot food, milkshakes, and yogurts. “As I got older, ice cream bothered me, so I’m lactose free. I go for the strawberry yogurt [instead],” Deener said.

“I got my favorite maple walnut sundae, and it was great,” she said. “So I’ve been here almost every week since,” said Sugai, a customer of 11 years.

The shop typically opens around the start of spring and closes on the Sunday of Thanksgiving.

General manager Melissa Lewis is looking to expand the brand. This past December, the shop began selling cakes in addition to ice cream while also focusing on a rebrand.

“I’ve helped with redoing signs, redoing packaging, really taking up a beautiful nostalgic space and bringing it into a little bit more of a modern look,” she said.

It’s also year 45 for the Boldt family. Co-owner Darren Boldt’s family bought the business in 1981.

“I started in Grade 9 working here and 45 years later, myself, and my brother and sister and my two cousins are now taking over the family business,” he said.

Located at the intersection of Victoria Avenue and Winnipeg Street, the shop has never moved and maintains its 1950s-style colours.

Lewis said she first visited the Milky Way as a child and noted that people returning to Regina often make it their first stop, adding that there is something timeless about the shop.

“It doesn’t really change that much; there’s a lot of history and lore. It’s family run, and it still has that feeling still,” she said.

“Not a lot of businesses in Regina have stood the test of time like that,” said Boldt.

“We would like to believe we serve a very good product for a reasonable price, with a smile on their face, and it’s not hard to sell ice cream.”