National Ice Cream Month Is the Time to Celebrate Classic Ice Cream Parlors and Artisanal Flavors

Here’s the Scoop: National Ice Cream Month Is the Time to Celebrate Classic Ice Cream Parlors and Artisanal Flavors July 17, 2018 – July is National Ice Cream Month, and the team at Mindy Bianca Public Relations couldn’t be more excited. Well, that’s not exactly true. We’d probably up the happiness quotient if, say, someone suddenly proclaimed it the Year of Ice Cream or ice cream was deemed “Dessert of the Decade.” But for now, 31 days is just fine with us. To ensure that you’re celebrating in style during this very important month, we’d like to provide you with our picks of fantastic ice cream experiences in each of our client destinations. Get ready to make some decisions – cup or cone (we choose cup), hot fudge or whipped cream (both!), large or small (um ... do you need to ask?) – because even if you’re currently far away from any of these places, this list is going to inspire you to take a deep dive into a pint. Or a half-gallon. Who are we to judge? Gilbert’s Ice Cream – Pawleys Island, South Carolina For generations the charming beach community of Pawleys Island has been bringing families closer to nature ... and to each other. It’s situated right along South Carolina’s “Hammock Coast,” and as that name implies, this is the place to relax and get away from it all. Well, you’ll get away from the things that stress you out ... but you’ll want to run toward this charming ice cream parlor that treats you like family. It’s owned and operated by a mother-and-daughter duo who make hand- crafted ice cream and a full array of baked goods on site. And yes, they make their own ice cream cones, too, which means the place consistently smells amazing. Their Pralines and Cream is a best seller, probably because they hand-craft pecan pralines right there and then fold them into delicious ice cream. If you prefer your pecans surrounded by something with a little higher proof, the Southern Bourbon Butter Pecan is out of this world. We also have it on good authority that their Earl Grey Tea ice cream tastes “like a foggy morning in London.” Matt’s Homemade Alabama Ice Cream – Gulf Shores, Alabama Owner Matt Lumpkin had an epiphany about five years ago, when he realized that the job he’d been happiest in was when he was a teenager working at an ice cream shop. He decided to recapture his youth – and the hearts of locals and visitors in his beach hometown – by opening his very own ice cream parlor four years ago. Folks flocked to that location, which was the only ice cream shop serving local, made-in-Alabama ice cream, and the parlor became so successful that Matt opened a second location down the street just two years later. On any given day, he provides at least 40 flavors, so choosing can be a daunting task. Red Velvet Cake is a fan favorite, but sometimes Matt goes completely off the board and invents something that’s hard to explain. One such item is his Peanut Butter Pie ice cream, inspired by a favorite dessert at The Original Oyster House, which is a neighbor to Matt’s second location. It has to be seen – and tasted – to be believed. Hannah’s Ice Cream Factory – Inside Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri OK, we know ... you think if you’ve had one theme park ice cream cone you’ve had them all. But no, you most definitely have not. At this 1880s-themed park, they make their ice cream right before your eyes. It’s an old-fashioned, labor-intensive process, but it sure is worth it. They have nine hand-crafted flavors every day, including blackberry, black walnut, butter pecan, chocolate, chocolate chip, cookies and cream, mint chocolate chip, strawberry and vanilla. But they also serve two bonus flavors that the park created in collaboration with Missouri-based Hiland Dairy, and which the dairy also distributes to grocery stores throughout the Midwest. Outlaw Run and Time Traveler were named for and inspired by the park’s most outrageous roller coasters, and their flavor profiles were designed to match each coaster’s story line. Outlaw Run is a vanilla ice cream with sea salt caramel and chocolate ribbons; it goes down smooth, just like that coaster travels along its tracks. Time Traveler is chocolate French silk with marshmallow bonbons, fudge sauce and chocolate ribbons – a beautiful mishmash of crazy elements and the perfect complement to the steampunk theme of the park’s newest record-breaking roller coaster, which opened in March. UDairy – Newark and Wilmington, Delaware At the student-run UDairy, operated by the University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, employees learn the fundamentals of food science, business management and entrepreneurship as they take ice cream “from the cow to the cone.” UDairy’s original location opened on the university’s campus in Newark in April 2011, but it all started with a business plan created by some students back in 2008. The ice cream – and the dairy’s concept – left such a sweet taste in patrons’ mouths that a second location opened in downtown Wilmington last year. Each recipe starts with the university’s happy herd of 100 Holstein cows, whose milk is used as part of a 14 percent butterfat ice cream mix that’s processed in coordination with Hy-Point Dairy. And then it’s all blended with some student creativity to come up with such flavors as First State Cobbler, a peach ice cream with a blueberry swirl and cinnamon crumble, and Meemaw’s Banana Pudding, which is banana ice cream with butter crunch, shortbread cookies and a banana pudding swirl. C&C Frozen Treats – Front Royal, Virginia Owner William Huck is sort of a mad scientist who dabbles in deliciousness. He’s constantly inventing new and offbeat flavors, and that keeps ice cream lovers coming back again and again. They’re driven by curiosity, but also by the fact that these wacky flavors are totally amazing. William is a transplant from Shreveport, Louisiana, who brought his Cajun culture and zest for life to this mountain town in the Shenandoah Valley, 70 miles from the nation’s capital and just a short jaunt off the Appalachian Trail. A self-taught ice cream creator, William says he wants to offer “memories on a spoon.” A recent menu featured some “normal” flavors – you know, coffee and brownie batter and peach – but also something called Firecracker (featuring red, white and blue Atomic Fireball candies), another named Policeman’s Paradise (studded with glazed donuts) and even Kale (yes, THAT kale). This is a guy who introduced the town to the concepts of broccoli, asparagus, taco and venison ice creams, so why not throw a “super food” into the churn and see what happens? In November, patrons know they can get a full Thanksgiving feast on an ice cream cone, from mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole to butternut squash and corn. And then comes Christmas and all the flavors that come along for that sleigh ride, including the laugh-inducing Reindeer Poop, a blend of sweet cream with chocolate-covered raisins. Check it out ... we just gave you the scoop on some delicious ice cream and included the word “poop” in a press release. Our work here is done. Time for an ice cream break! MEDIA CONTACT Mindy Bianca 919-200-6060 [email protected] .

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