Photo by GEORGE PELLETIER A patron visits Nashua’s The Big 1, a local ice cream stand, that opened for the season this Saturday.

NASHUA – On a cold, snowy Saturday, where lactose intolerance is not an option, Nashua’s The Big 1 and Hayward’s ice cream stands opened for business, offering up frozen treats for an equally frozen but excited clientele.

Big 1 manager Jen Marquis said business was good, even with a few snowflakes falling.

“Customers were here about a half an hour before we were even open at 11 a.m.,” she said. “There were six or seven people waiting for ice cream.”

Marquis said having ice cream, “is a sign of spring.”

“Everybody has cabin fever,” she added. “Everybody wants to get out, even with the snow, and people want ice cream. The weather doesn’t have to be warm to enjoy it.”

And warm, the weather is not. Temperatures will drop over the next few days, with 6-10 inches of snow in the forecast for Sunday night into Monday afternoon. The mercury will continue to fall through Friday, with lows in the single digits, as low as 5 degrees.

That certainly won’t stop stout New Englanders from partaking in the many tasty, frozen treats the Big 1 and Hayward’s have to offer.

The Big 1 ice cream stand has been a staple for soft-serve savorers since the 1950s. Family owned, Marcel Lemay bought the business in 1973 and ran the shop until 1983, when he sold it to his sister-in-law, Pat Lemay. In 1998, The Nashua landmark was purchased by Jeanne (Marcel’s niece), and her husband Gary Marquis, continuing the The Big 1’s 46-year legacy.

Customer Grace Sullivan of Merrimack, waited in line (by herself at the time), and battled the blustery weather, while on a mission for some raspberry rickey.

A student at Merrimack High School, Sullivan admitted to having an ulterior motive, and not just a hankering for ice cream.

“Well, my friend works here,” she said. “And I’m looking for a new job. It’s their first day so I figured I would start right away.”

The Big 1 is located at 185 Concord St. in Nashua.

Also on Saturday, another landmark ice cream stand opened for the season.

Hayward’s Ice Cream’s Nashua location ushered in its 79th season, officially opening at 11 a.m.

The immensely popular destination offers up homemade treats in a variety of flavors. This season, Hayward’s is making lactose free vanilla and Oreo ice cream.

Hayward’s in Milford opened two weeks ago, and a new location in Merrimack has a grand opening planned for March 16. The indoor location also will have two take-out windows available, as well as a drive thru. Non-ice cream fare will be available, including brewed Kona blend coffee and muffins.

The Nashua Hayward’s location is at 7 Daniel Webster Highway. The Milford stand is at 383 Elm St., and the Merrimack store is at the newly developed Merrimack 360 Plaza, 360 Daniel Webster Highway.

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