How Is This Possible? Burr’s Fountain In East Sac Is Closing

By on October 16, 2018

An important part of my life is ending.  After 25 years of being a staple in East Sac, Burr’s Fountain on Folsom Blvd is closing.  Owner Jim Burr is retiring.  According to kcra.com Burr says he’s ready to call working 7 days a week a thing of the past and spend quality time with his wife.  There may be a new owner moving in but it looks like it’ll be a chain looking for another outlet.  It doesn’t matter what it becomes because you cannot….repeat, cannot replace Burr’s.

When my son Lucas was first starting school I  made a deal with him.  If he got 100% on his weekly Friday spelling test, I would take him to Burr’s for a chocolate milkshake.  Almost every Friday afternoon found us at Burr’s.  Plus if you got good grades on your report card Burr’s would give you free ice cream.

Burr’s wasn’t just this great throwback soda fountain, it was a big part of the community.  They donated thousands of dollars to the many East Sacramento parks.  And most of the employees were high school kids from the area.  Burr’s was one of those places where no matter when you went you’d see somebody you knew.  It truly is/was synonymous with East Sac.

I called Lucas tonight (he’s away at college) and told him Burr’s was closing.  His immediate reaction was, “What??”  We talked about why it was closing and the many good memories we had together of Burr’s.  He then said, “You’re buying it, right?”  We laughed and then he said, “Well, you know you owe me about 17 milkshakes.” (not sure how he landed on 17 but there must have been some spelling test payoffs that I missed).   The we were both quiet for a few seconds.  400 miles away and over the phone we could read each other’s minds:  “This sucks.”

Jim Burr said he might open one more weekend before he closes for good.  If he does it’ll be the weekend of Oct 26, 27 and 28.  Wonder if Lucas could make it home that weekend.  If he does I’m betting he could knock down 17 milkshakes inside of 3 days.

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