New home sought for Frostop mug

SALEM -- Salem Frostop Mug Group members, in cooperation with the Miller family, are looking for a new home for their giant Frostop root beer mug, preferably in Salem where the restored piece of history can be displayed.

"All ideas will be taken to the committee for consideration," Jim Greenamyer said Friday.

Greenamyer and his family, with help from the Millers, all of Salem, removed the rusted mug in October 2019 from the roof of the former Frostop restaurant owned by the Miller family with plans for Jim, his brother Bill, and other Greenamyer family members to restore it.

The mug had been on top of the building at the west end of State Street since 1960 when the Miller family opened the then popular car-hop location near their Dairy Queen franchise. The Frostop had been closed for years, with the Dairy Queen closing in September 2019.

The Greenamyers worked meticulously for over a year and a half and brought the treasured mug back to its former glory.

Since the group unveiled the restored mug in May 2021, Greenamyer said they've done everything they said they were going to do except find the mug a home.

They constructed a hydraulic hinge system and the mug was mounted to a trailer so it could be lowered and transported to various locations. The mug has been displayed at Jackson's Auto Parts (Salem NAPA), Bailey Financial, the 2021 Salem Super Cruise and the Salem Alumni Concert at Waterworth Memorial Park.

"Our entire family and friends really enjoyed working together to 'regenerate' this Salem Icon back to its former glory, but now it's time for it to find a permanent home. We're looking for someone or some place that is going to display the mug in a highly visible location, preferably in Salem. We're open for ideas," he said.

Greenamyer said the original plan was to donate the mug to the Salem Historical Society to have them display it. Then the idea was to offer the mug to a business to put it on the roof to display it, but with the group still retaining ownership.

Anyone interested in the mug can contact Greenamyer at jgreens52@hotmail.com.

Plans are to have the mug at the Salem Super Cruise next week.