Gemini Studio
Sweet Summer Treats by Deborah Tirico
We played outside until the streetlights came on … it was summer in a city neighborhood where we played spud and dreaded losing … and having to pass through the spanking machine … a lineup of the neighborhood kids with their stance wide enough for one to pass
under on one’s knees as fast as possible, while each kid took a shot at spanking your hind
end as much as possible. Ow!
Cream Suckers". Who knew this treat was around when my grandmother was a kid?
The Popsicle® brand is an American Classic, with more than 30 creative variations of the
original Popsicle® product. Believe it or not, the discovery of the popsicle started with an
accident!
In 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson left a mixture of powdered soda, water, and
a stirring stick in a cup on his porch. It was a cold night, and Epperson awoke
the next morning to find a frozen pop. He called it the "Epsicle." It was a hit
with his friends at school, and later with his own kids. They constantly called
for "Pop's 'sicle." So in 1923, Epperson changed the name and applied for a
patent. A couple of years later, Epperson sold the rights to the brand name
Popsicle® to the Joe Lowe Company in New York. The rest is history!
Going to the ice cream parlor and having a sundae is a great American pastime.
When we were growing up, it was a family tradition to go for sundaes whenever
we attended school performances. After the performance we would go to AC Petersons Dairy and have ourselves a
great time deciding on ice cream flavors, toppings and jimmies … then enjoying our personalized creation of sweet cold calories.
The best sound on a summer night was the Good Humor truck ringing away to
announce it was time for a novelty treat of ice cream on a stick. We flew to
the truck (or home to beg money from our parents) and lined up with excitement
at the ice cream truck. I used to absolutely love the Toasted Almond.
Interestingly enough, the invention of ice cream novelties including Good Humor, Popsicle and Mister
Softee began right here in the United States.
In 1919, Christian Nelson, an Iowa store owner, discovered how to coat an ice
cream bar with chocolate, inventing the Eskimo Pie. When he heard of the
discovery, Harry Burt, owner of a Youngstown, Ohio ice cream parlor, replicated
Nelson's product. The story is that Burt's 23-year old daughter, Ruth thought
that the new novelty was too messy. Burt's son, Harry Jr. suggested using a wooden stick as a convenient handle. They tried out the idea
in the store's hardening room where they discovered that the stick formed a
strong bond when the ice cream cystallized. Burt outfitted twelve street
vending trucks in Youngstown with rudimentary freezers and bells to sell his
"Good Humor Ice
Today Unilever owns the four most popular brands of novelty ice cream including
Good humor, Popsicle, Klondike and Breyers.
The U.S. ice cream industry generates more than $21 billion in annual sales and
provides jobs for thousands of citizens. About 9% of all the milk produced by
U.S. dairy farmers is used to produce ice cream, contributing significantly to
the economic well-being of the nation's dairy industry.
