Ice Cream Festival and the Queen’s Festivities

The Utica Ice Cream Festival will be held on the grounds of Velvet Ice Cream.

If you’re scratching your head wondering how you’re going to spend this Memorial Day Weekend, I’ve got a whopper of an idea for you. Drive, fly or bike (only if you’re relatively close) to the 38th Annual Utica Old Fashioned Ice Cream Festival. Held each year in Utica, Ohio, the event features arts, crafts, exhibits, kids activities, a parade, and plenty of ice cream.

Does this person make you think of ice cream?

A slightly bigger party is happening on the other side of the Atlantic — the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. A wide range of festivities are planned to mark Queen Elizabeth II 6o years as queen, but there are some who have decided to celebrate the momentous event with ice cream.

The award-winning restaurant, Ronnies of Thornbury, is planning a five-course dinner with a featured dessert of Elderflower and Strawberry Jelly with Clotted Cornish ice cream. I have to expect that it will taste better than it sounds.

Churchfields Farmhouse Ice Cream is introducing The Queen’s Peach. As the name suggests, it’s peach flavored ice cream. Not to be outdone, chef Jacob Kenedy put his own spin on the ice cream that was invented for the Queen’s coronation banquet in 1953. Like the original version, the ice cream incorporates chicken and curry flavors and is supposed to be delicious. I’m just guessing here, but British taste buds must be calibrated differently than ours.

Scoop of Genius Award

Cleveland Cavaliers’ mascot Moondog in front of the ice cream truck with a couple of fans.

With spring here and summer closing in you’ve probably started to notice the sound of  ice cream trucks making the rounds in your neighborhood and at your kids’ games.

If you live in, or plan to visit, the greater Cleveland, Ohio, area, keep your eyes out for the Mr. iSee ice cream truck. Sales from Mr. iSee go to the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

The brainchild of the Cleveland Eye Clinic, Mr. iSee was recently unveiled at Cleveland’s VisionWalk. While this was the first event for the refurbished 1959 ice cream truck, it will be making appearances throughout the summer. Treats range from ice cream bars to ice cream sandwiches to popsicles and only cost a buck.

This was such a great idea that used ice cream for a good cause, I thought the Cleveland Eye Clinic deserved one of my Scoop of Genius awards. Congratulations to the Cleveland Eye Clinic. Keep up the good work!

Ice Cream Reward, Ice Cream Festival and Emergency Ice Cream Stop

The ice cream man.

The Ice Cream Reward. NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson sent ice cream to the entire school of Clara Love Elementary School in Justin, Texas  today. Mr. Johnson was keeping a promise he made in April when he visited the school for the “Speeding to Read” championship. He brought ice cream on that trip and was asked by a student if he would do it again. He said he would if they kept up their reading. All the students did, so he held up his end of the bargain. That just proves that ice cream is the ultimate motivator.

Ice Cream Festival. If you’re anywhere near Tuttle, Oklahoma this Saturday, make certain to stop in on the 21st Annual Tuttle Ice Cream Festival. There will be a car show, parade, petting zoo, pony rides, live entertainment, and, of course, plenty of ice cream. The festival begins at 10 a.m. and costs $1.50.

RAF pilots make an ice cream stop.

Emergency Ice Cream Stop. My favorite story of the week comes from Norfolk, England where a RAF search and rescue helicopter crew made an emergency landing like none other. It was a hot day and the crew had come down with a condition I’m quite familiar with — Extreme Ice Cream Craving Syndrome. The only known cure is to get some ice cream. So the pilots landed their helicopter on the beach, hopped out and made their way to Winterton Dunes Beach Cafe to undergo the prescribed treatment. With ice cream treats in hand, they boarded their craft to resume their workday. Thankfully for the crew, the landing was not against RAF regulations.

Frozen Justice

The stolen item should be easy to spot.

For all you fledgling Joe Friday types, here’s your chance to win a lifelong supply of ice cream. All you have to do is find a delivery truck stolen from Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlour and Restaurant in Dania Beach, Florida. If you’re interested in solving the case, here are (in true Dragnet style) just the facts:

1. The truck is a 2005 Isuzu.
2. Grainy surveillance video shows the truck speeding away from Jaxson’s.
3. Distinguishing marks include a picture of owner Monroe Udell in a red apron offering ice cream treats. (That would be distinguishing marks on the truck. Not the thief).

So get out your magnifying glasses and amateur CSI kits and get to work. If you solve the case, you can get free ice cream on your birthday at Jaxson’s for the rest of your life.

Mother’s Day

You can’t have Mother’s Day without children. So in honor of all those great kids who make Mother’s Day possible, I present to you some cute videos involving kids and ice cream.

As a side note. If you’re wondering how to celebrate this Mother’s Day, I just happen to know of a company that makes some great ice cream cakes.

The videos.

Cute videos of kids trying to polish off their ice cream while fighting off sleep.

This kid finds another use for his ice cream.

Ice cream shirt.

From happy to intimidating in 0 to 3 seconds.

A Tiny Taste of Luxury

Skip that crystal covered car and get an ice cream cone instead.

I’ve always felt… strike that… known… I’ve always known that ice cream is, hands down, the best treat on the planet. For proof, you don’t have to look much further than the current recklessness of the world economy.

I recently blogged about the boom of the Italian gelato industry in spite of their economy. Now comes a report that United States ice cream sales are through the roof.

Why build that vacation home in Dubai when ice cream costs significantly less?

If you’re scratching your head as to the connection, stay with me just a bit longer. As I mentioned in the Italian blog, ice cream was once a luxury enjoyed only by those with Swiss bank accounts (or the 17th century equivalent). Thanks to technological advances, the cost of ice cream dropped dramatically through the years and is now an affordable treat for anyone.

Now take the current economy. It does a full gainer. People start cutting back on expensive luxuries. They buy costume jewelery instead of those 800 carat diamond necklaces. They don’t get that second yacht. Ferrari and Lamborghini dealerships start having a hard time making their quotas.

So, where do people turn to get their luxury fix? Ice cream. Even though it’s become commonplace, everyone still knows there is no other experience like it. Go ahead and see what I mean. Get some ice cream. Get a good lick. Now close your eyes. The joy you’re feeling is exactly the same as past kings, queens and presidents.

Try that with any other treat or, for that matter, a Ferrari or Lamborghini. Except don’t close your eyes with the Ferrari or Lamborghini. That may be bad. I doubt that any of those experiences will give you that same sense of luxury as ice cream.

So, go out there and get the best treat on earth and enjoy. You deserve a bit of luxury in your life.

Ice Cream From The Heart

Robert Weaver, the ice cream man.

Even if you aren’t a fan of auto racing, you’ve probably heard of NASCAR. What you may not know about the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing is its charitable work.

The NASCAR Foundation works tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of children who need their help the most. The foundation created the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award to recognize individuals who go the extra mile to help the children in their communities.

Mr. Weaver on the night of winning his award.

This was the inaugural year of the award, so it was important to get things off on the right foot by giving it to a man whose work with children involved ice cream. That individual was 83-year-old Robert Weaver. Affectionately known as the “Ice Cream Man,” Mr. Weaver has been handing out ice cream treats to the children at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind for over fifty years. His support for the school doesn’t stop there. He has also taught the students how to ride tricycles and helped the school raise over $200,000.

In addition to the recognition, Mr. Weaver was given an all-expense-paid trip to NASCAR’s Champion’s Week in Las Vegas, a 2012 Ford Explorer and $100,000 for his charity, the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind Foundation.