SKOWHEGAN — After serving frozen treats for 72 seasons, the Island Dairy Treat in Skowhegan has closed for good.

The ice cream stand at 23 Island Ave., which closed Aug. 31 after the summer season, announced its permanent closure in a social media post Sunday.

The owner of the property recently sold it, and the new owners have other plans for the property. They are not interested in continuing to lease the building to the ice cream business, according to the post.

“We have chosen as a family to not take the equipment and move it to a new location as it would not be the same and not have the same history!” the post reads. “So the Island Dairy Treat is officially closed for good.

“Thank you for trusting, supporting and helping us grow our shop to what it became! We love Skowhegan and we look forward to the future!”

The Island Dairy Treat had several owners over its more than seven decades serving ice cream. The Curtis family owned and operated it for the past eight years, according to the social media post about its closure.

Owner Jason Curtis declined to comment Monday on the closure or answer questions about the business, its history and his family’s involvement, deferring all inquiries to the information contained in the social media post.

Signs for the business had been removed by Monday morning, at a man removed a realtor’s sign from the property at about 3 p.m.

Sydney Curtis serves ice cream Sept. 23, 2020, to a customer at the Island Dairy Treat at 23 Island Ave. in Skowhegan. The business, which began in 1952, has closed after 72 seasons. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel file

According to town property tax records, the property was owned by Thomas Miller of Madison. A warranty deed recorded Sept. 12 at the Somerset County Registry of Deeds shows Joseph P. McGuire and Kathleen McGuire, both of Orange, Connecticut, acquired the real estate parcel and the building from Miller.

An online real estate listing displays a sale price of $135,000.

No further details about the transaction were available Monday.

As of Monday afternoon, the Facebook post announcing the closure had about 800 reactions, nearly 200 comments and more than 200 shares, as community members reminisced about their favorite treats at the local landmark. Some said their favorites included maple soft serve, butterscotch dip and chocolate-covered frozen bananas.

The uncertainty of what will become of the former ice cream shop generated buzz online, too. Most who commented on the post announcing the closure said they were thankful for its many years in business on the island near downtown Skowhegan.

“So sad to learn this news,” one commenter wrote. “Your family ran a top-notch ice cream shop. Was always greeted with a smile and pleasant conversation. And don’t forget the hotdogs! Yummy! You will be missed with Skowhegan residents and the numerous travelers that stopped at ‘The Island.’”

Others bemoaned the loss of the iconic ice cream stand, describing the closure as a negative development for the town.

“First the Drive-in, now this,” one user wrote. “Skowhegan is not changing for the better.”

Many longtime customers commented that they will miss the Island Dairy Treat.

“So sad but things happen,” one ice cream lover wrote in the comments. “I have gone there for years. It sure will be remembered.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to remove information about the land and building’s assessed value in 2023, because municipal records were not specific enough about the Island Dairy Treat stand in particular.