Charlie Dinneback planted roots in Fort Collins in 1902 and, some say, he still resides here today. It is believed that he haunts what today is Walrus Ice Cream. He is said to be one of the many Fort Collins ghosts to still walk among us.
Riding off of the success of their barber shop, cafe and boarding house, the Dinneback family opened up Dinneback Cafe. Charlie Dinneback put his all into this new venture. He actively made himself available at the cafe, delving out quality hospitality which he became known for. As a prominent member of the community, Dinneback would often throw soirees in the basement of the building. A tunnel that leads to a neighboring building suggests that there might have even been a speakeasy below.
Dinnebeck attended to the cafe until his death in 1940. Flash forward to 1984 and the building had moved on to its next reincarnation: an ice cream store called Walrus ice cream. Boasting 29 flavors, which change day to day, Walrus quickly became a town favorite. But soon the owners and employees started sensing they were not alone.
Falling objects, electric shocks and changing clocks; it all added up to a ghostly visitor in the shop. And with a reputation for constantly watching over his cafe, it wasn’t a far stretch to wonder if Dinnebeck stuck around to ensure his building would continue to run in tip-top shape.
Lisa Paugh, current owner of the shop, described a series of volatile encounters with Dinneback when she started to renovate the space. She said the front window was broken and the dipping cabinet would be found knocked over. But once they put up a commemoration of Dinneback on the wall, she says he’s calmed down. She’s never seen him personally but says that she feels his presence often.
One employee, Jake Anderson, described an event that happened on a slow day in the shop. “The clock, it didn’t just fall, it literally flew off,” he said. Paugh added that the clock would never tell the right time, even with fresh batteries.
She told another story about how a sticker dating a photo on the wall to 1919 would constantly fall off. After some research, it was found that the photo was actually from 1920. The corrected sticker hasn’t had any issues staying on.
Don’t let Walrus Ice Cream’s ghostly inhabitant scare you off. Paugh claims that Dinneback is a friendly ghost. He’s simply sticking around to assure his legacy of great customer service lives on in the building he spent so much of his waking life in. And spooky past aside, Walrus Ice Cream serves up a mean ice cream cone! Stop by to indulge your sweet tooth and, perhaps, have an other-worldly encounter with Fort Collins’ most hospitable ghost.