The inspiration behind Wicky Ralph’s is intrinsically tied to the Grammy Rose Dog Rescue and Sanctuary campus that surrounds it. Since its inception, the rescue’s mission has included two key components – rescuing adoptable dogs from kill shelters around the country and providing them with quality care in a unique, homelike setting as we work to match them with forever families, and collaborating with the local community to provide employment, volunteer and recreational activities as they support our ongoing mission.
Wicky Ralph’s became that special recreational experience we are honored to share with the local community and its seasonal tourists. Each visitor to Wicky Ralph’s helps support the rescue’s ongoing operations. In fact, all proceeds from the sale of ice cream and mini-golf go directly to Grammy Rose.
The ice cream shop and dog-themed mini-golf course are named for Ralph Edward Wentworth, the husband of the rescue’s namesake “Grammy” Rose Kessler Wentworth. Ralph was born in 1899, and died in 1975 at the age of 76. He and Grammy Rose spent summers in the 1800’s farmhouse that is just up the street from the rescue campus, and he earned the “Wicky” nickname from his devoted grandchildren.
Ralph was a decorated veteran, having served in the United States Army Expeditionary Forces in France as a Private in World War I. He worked in the automotive field for most of his career as a foreman, a service manager and ultimately as the president of a well-respected dealership in Hartford, Connecticut.
The mini-golf course and the ice cream shop are open seasonally from late spring to late fall, and serve as a living tribute to Wicky Ralph who, along with Grammy Rose and a very special rescue dog named Sammie (a sign featuring Sammie’s story greets everyone who plays mini-golf with us) are the inspiration behind our very special campus tucked away in the beautiful woods of southern Maine.
Pictured are Grammy Rose and Wicky Ralph (with an ice cream scoop in hand) enjoying cake and ice cream with two of their grandchildren circa 1970.
