A Bittersweet Goodbye as Yoder’s Red Barn Ice Cream Makes Way for a New Chapter
ASHLAND — The Yoder family gathered early this morning at 428 Parkside Drive, standing side by side as a familiar piece of Ashland history was quickly reduced to dust and memories.
The original Yoder’s Red Barn Ice Cream building — constructed in 1950 — came down in around 30 minutes. As heavy equipment moved in, four young children watched with excitement and curiosity. Amid the noise and falling brick, one simple request from their oldest son, cut straight to the heart:
“Can I keep a brick?”
For Harley and Amanda Yoder, the moment was unmistakably bittersweet.
Harley purchased the property in June of 2013 — just one week before he met Amanda, who would soon become his wife. What began as a business venture quietly became the foundation of a family. Today, that foundation includes four children — three boys and one girl — all of whom have known this little red building their entire lives.
As brick and mortar fell, memories flooded in.
“It’s sort of sad and very exciting at the same time,” Harley said. “We’re making history.”
According to the Ashland County Auditor, the structure was originally built in 1950 as a garage and later used as a small concession stand, once serving popcorn and cotton candy for ballpark crowds. When Harley took ownership, it became Yoder’s Red Barn Ice Cream — a name now woven into countless Ashland summers.
The decision to tear it down, Harley explained, was one of necessity, not disregard.
“The maintenance costs and all the things that were going wrong made it more feasible to build a new one,” he said. “The building had reached the end of its life.”
What will rise in its place is something deeply personal.
The new Red Barn — a Gabriel-style barn — was designed entirely by Amanda. The structure will be larger, functional, and unmistakably barn-like, complete with a red exterior and galvanized roof.
“As soon as this gets cleared, we’ll be pouring footers and starting the foundation,” Harley said. “The goal is to open April 1. Hopefully by the end of January, the new buildings will be standing.”
As the dust settled, Amanda shared her own story — one that began long before marriage or children.
“I was working at Home Hardware,” she recalled. “On my first day, I was stuffing flyers for Yoder’s Red Barn into bags.”
Those flyers led to a visit. The visit led to a job. And the job led to a love story built after hours, side by side, evenings spent working together.
“We fell in love while building that business,” Amanda said. “We built a friendship along with our love.”
The old building wasn’t just a place of work — it was home.
“Our kids have been coming here since they were babies,” Amanda said. “A lot of times on my hip while I rang people up. This is all they’ve ever known.”
So important was the moment that the children were pulled from school to witness it.
“They couldn’t miss this,” she said. “This is a very important part of their lives.”
As passersby slowed to take photos and longtime customers stopped to watch, the emotion of the moment was shared far beyond the Yoder family.
“This is Ashland’s favorite ice cream place,” Amanda said. “Seeing the excitement people have for us makes this moment even more emotional.”
The new building will allow room for expansion — new equipment, new ideas, and even more of the creative menu items that have already become local favorites, from barbecued pulled pork sandwiches made with locally raised meat, to pulled pork waffle fries topped with nacho cheese, and the classic banana splits that generations have enjoyed.
Still, as one child carefully claimed a brick from the rubble, it became clear that the legacy of Yoder’s Red Barn Ice Cream is about far more than ice cream.
“We’re hoping to leave this to our children someday,” Amanda said. “So they can make their own memories and families here.”
The old building may be gone, but its spirit — and the memories created within its walls — will live on.
In Ashland, the Red Barn isn’t ending.
It’s simply beginning again.
