Toft's Dairy is a family affair

topey@sanduskyregister.comThe longevity of Toft's Dairy is a testament to family unity and the nostalgia of a small-town identity.Today, five generations of Meislers work at the family-owned dairy."Our business is 365 days a year. They never shut the cows off, and there is always a family member here to accept the work," said Eugene Meisler, 76, president of Toft's.The dairy was founded by Christopher and Matilda Toft in 1900 at the Toft's farm on Ohio 4.Their granddaughter, Edna Toft, married Carl Meisler in the 1940s, and the Meisler family continues to operate the dairy.At 114 years old, it is the oldest dairy in Ohio.Back then the dairy sold raw milk — a no-no today, because milk must be pasteurized.Horse-drawn wagons delivered the milk in 10-gallon containers, and people ladled milk into their own containers. Eugene Meisler recalls delivering milk bottles to milk boxes at people's homes. Some of those customers are now his employees.That includes the Bango brothers: Bob, who is 60 years old, and Glen, who is 57.Bob has worked in the ice cream parlor at Toft's for 43 years, Glen has worked alongside Bob for 40 years, giving the brothers a combined total of 83 years."I like the idea of working for a local family as opposed to a corporation and someone you never see," Glen Bango said.Bob was 16 years old when he got a job at Toft's, then located at 2434 W. Monroe St. in Sandusky.He got the job with the help of his neighbor, who worked there."Jobs were few and far between for kids. It was not so many restaurants and shops like today for kids to work. If you knew someone, that was your in," Bob Bango said.He was hired to help Edna, Eugene's mother, who ran the ice cream parlor.Scooping ice cream and making cones was a good job, and he got to meet a lot of people."Even then we were known to have the biggest cones," Glen Bango said.At that time there were 10 flavors to dip, and a cone cost 25 cents. Today there are 51 flavors to dip, and a cone costs $3.35.The Bango brothers are as much the face of Toft's as the Meislers.Regular customers expect to see at least one of the brothers, if not both, at the parlor.That includes Bernard Palmer, 91, and his sister June Palmer Johnson, 86, who have visited Toft's for lunch every day during the week for the last couple of years."It reminds me of the country stores that were around when we were kids. Its a wonderful place to come," June said."They have only thrown us out three times," Bernard said, joking.They had both ordered bean soup, which June called "wonderful."Bernard and June know everyone who works in the parlor and all their stories. The employees know Bernard and June's stories as well.The Palmers used to bring their sister Ruth, who was a trained singer. In the later years, as dementia set in, Ruth would become afraid if she could not see them."I used to call to her and say, 'Ruth, you come stand up here with me,'" Bob Bango said.And at times Bob and Ruth would even sing."He could get her to sing," June said. "She was a wonderful singer."Ice cream sales at Toft'sVanilla is the biggest seller because it is used in a lot of ice cream dishes, such as milkshakes and sundaes, as well as sold on its own.The most popular flavored ice cream is butter pecan.Register photo/LUKE WARK Bob Bango, right, laughs Thursday afternoon while he and his brother, Glen, man the counter at Toft's Dairy. Bob has worked at the ice cream parlor for 43 years, and Glen has worked alongside him for 40 years. Register photo/LUKE WARK Bob Bango hands a cone to a customer Thursday afternoon at Toft's Ice Cream Parlor. Bob has worked at the ice cream parlor since he was 16 years old. Register photo/LUKE WARK Glenn Bango scoops up an ice cream cone for a customer Thursday afternoon while manning the counters at Toft's Dairy. Register photo/LUKE WARK Glen Bango hands a cone to a customer Thursday afternoon at Toft's Dairy Ice Cream Parlor. Glen has worked at the ice cream parlor for 40 years. Register photo/LUKE WARK Glen and Bob Bango have been working along side each other at Toft's Dairy for four decades. They have a combined total of 83 years experience at the ice cream parlor. Register photo/LUKE WARK Eugene Meisler, president of Toft's Dairy, talks Thursday about the family business and the history of the ice cream parlor.