For those who have never been to New England, a frappe is what everyone else in the U.S. calls a milkshake; but here, a milkshake is just that -- no ice cream involved.

I grew up in Concord and much of the "Coney Island" stuff was still there into the 1960s, albeit very much toned down. As you drove down Route 126, just past what used to be the town dump on the left, was the entrance to the Walden Breezes trailer park. Back in the 70s it was bought by the state, with the proviso that existing residents could stay there as long as they wanted. Just past the trailer park was the stand, or a similar looking successor, shown in the photo. It was much less gaudy in the early 60s. The bath house was an ugly cinder block structure down on the beach. If you go back to the late 1800s, there was a bandstand built out over the water and a horse racing track on the far side of the pond. Trains from Boston would stop there. At some point the bandstand burned and fell into the water.

What are royals? They sound tasty.

From the Sports Illustrated archives. Oct. 28, 1957:

Walden Pond, on whose wild shores and idle waters Henry David Thoreau lingered more than 100 years ago, has, like much of that early, innocent world, been changed by bulldozers, a trailer camp named Walden Breezes, hot dog stands and old beer cans. In the name of recreation, trees were felled on the eastern shore to make an addition to the present beach area, a slope was stripped and a concrete bathhouse and a paved road to the water were proposed. On weekends, Walden Pond resembles a rustic Coney Island.

Last time I was at Walden, it was a park and they didn't have any stores nearby. I loved going there to relax after working a night shift. I also love the sign stating you can get a Frappe since I moved to California I can only get milkshakes! I wish I could go back in time, because the store looks like it would be a fun place to go to.