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When the siding covering the transoms on the old Shelton Building on Main Street was removed last winter and the 58-year-old Dari-Delite signs reappeared, there was excitement nearing pandemonium in Pearisburg. People rushed to the courthouse corner, cameras in hand, sometimes blocking traffic, to take a keepsake picture.
The ads brought back memories of the small building on old Route 100 that served twenty-five cent hot dogs and hamburgers to hundreds of hungry teens and adults. No one in town has clearer memories of the place that O.C. "Buddy" Proffitt, the man who owned the Dari-Delite. Although he was surprised at the enthusiasm of the sign's reception, he was pleased and amused at the number of fond memories they engendered. Now retired, Buddy lives with his daughter, Corky, in a home filled with the harvest of many years of collecting "stuff". His extensive collection of Coca-Cola advertising memorabilia and his game room overflowing with collectibles would gladden an auctioneer's heart. Strangers may wonder why the advertising for a business over four blocks away was displayed in the transom windows of the Modern Cut-Rate Drug Store at the corner of Main Street and Wenonah Avenue. The answer is simple - Mr. Proffitt owned and operated both businesses. Buddy Proffitt came to Pearisburg in 1950 and opened what we would consider a discount business today, selling over-the-counter drugs, tobacco, candy, magazines, greeting cards, soft drinks, toiletries, cosmetics and various other sundries that were not available in many other stores. When the business closed in 1966, his type of merchandise was being stocked by Kroger's and other grocery stores. Jeff Stafford worked part-time at the Cut-Rate during high school for wages of fifty cents an hour. It is likely that his experiences as a sales clerk in a small town store left an impression that later influenced his eighteen years of service in the House of Delegates. In 1958, Buddy and his brother-in-law dropped the Dari-Delite franchise and developed their own small chain of Rainbow Drive-Ins with locations in Pearisburg, Covington and Clifton Forge. The business was named for Rainbow Gorge, a picturesque site near Clifton Forge. They bought a building and opened the Pearisburg Rainbow Drive-In just across the street from the Dari-Delite location that later became the home of Tastee-Freez. The Rainbow became "the place" for the high school crowd after school hours and on weekends. There are many residents today who have warm memories of the drive-in. Buddy remembers Betsy Givens telling him of the time her son, Tommy, arrived home from college, opened the front door, tossed his luggage in the front hall and announced he was on his way to the Rainbow. Promotion and advertising were an important part of th eoperation of the Rainbow. Two of the best, in Buddy's estimation, were the Flood Water Punch and Cotton Pickin' Banana Splits. The Flood Water Punch, a concoction of coke and chocolate syrup, was named in honor of an actual flood that had
just occurred. The forty-nine cent banana split promotion involved sealing numbers from 1 to 49 in cotton balls that customers picked out of a container. The charge for the banana split was whatever number was picked from the cotton ball. The Cotton Pickin'Banana Split campaign was so
successful it was repeated several times. When asked about Pearisburg during his years in business here, Buddy recalls other business owners in town- Paul Hepler at the Ford Garage, the number of businesses owned by the Ingram family, Alex Witten's Men's Shop, and Charlie Weaver's service station. He also recalls the Lion's Club minstrel shows and the fundraising slogan for the first town swimming pool, "Swim and Dive in '55". He recalls acting as emcee for the Lion's Club events and the fire that damaged the Modern Cut Rate Drug Store and forced him to move the business around the corner to Dr. Pippa Chapman's office location for six months while the store was repaired. He also recalls the limited size of town and county governments when he first came to Pearisburg and puzzles over the growth of the number of government employees although the populatoin has remained virtually the same since he arrived in 1950. Buddy closed the Rainbow in 1983 and immediately became interim manager of the Giles Country Club for a year before moving to Castle Rock Golf Course, serving as manager for the next five years before he officially retired. He found managing Castle Rock a rewarding experience, working to bring the golf course into the black financially, and in the camaraderie among the members. Looking back on his time in business, he comments on his sincere affection for people and his enjoyment in serving customers. Editor's Note: This article is being reproduced with the permission of the writer and the Town of Pearisburg. It appeared this past week in the Olde Towne Register in Pearisburg's town paper. With the Pearisburg Festival in The Park this weekend, we thought the article to be a nice addition to the coming festivities as Pearisburg celebrates its 200th Birthday! Photos: (Top left) The old Shelton Building on Main Street. (Right) The old Rainbow Drive-In. (Courtesy photos)
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