Printer Friendly Version - An Old Fashioned Summer Celebration

It’s always so nice to get an actual invitation, made of paper, in the mailbox. One such recent invitation really made me smile because it was for another old-fashioned tradition, and that is an ice cream social.

This invitation was extended to everyone in our neighborhood by some neighbors I am very fond of, but had barely seen all summer. The same was true of many other invitees; we liked each other, we enjoyed spending time with each other, but we had not yet made time to do just that.

The event itself was casual and fun. A hand-printed sign pointed to the hosts’ driveway and backyard, where the party took place. On one table, there were a couple of huge tubs of ice cream in a huge cooler packed with ice, one chocolate, and one vanilla. Nearby, there was a generous table covered with bowls of toppings and accouterments, including freshly whipped cream, pretzel sticks, M&Ms, slivered almonds, Reese’s Pieces, Heath English Toffee Bits, sweet coconut flakes, waffle cone bits, Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips, Maraschino cherries, caramel topping, hot fudge, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, Oreos, 7-layer bars, and more. A third table was home to a make-your-own root beer float station.

Additional genius was provided in the form of containers and utensils that were almost entirely compostable or consumable, including, my very most favorite, straws you could eat after you were done using them, provided with the root beer floats. Yes, truly, such a thing does exist; I kid you not, I am not making this up. “The Original Sorbos Edible Straws” can be purchased online. I was told they do not affect the taste of the drink while you are using it, but then it tastes like whatever the flavor is (we had the choice of four flavors) when you eat it. And darn if that wasn’t true. I was besotted.

It was great catching up with friends, and it was just magic seeing large groups of kids relaxing, slouching around, gabbing, slurping down all the ice cream they could eat, and just being kids on a summer afternoon.

I checked in with Ashley’s Ice Cream, which has several locations along the shoreline, and the big tubs of ice cream cost $42 each, with a $10 refundable deposit for the tub. Each contains about two gallons of ice cream. It doesn’t hurt to order in advance if you want a fancy flavor, but they said tubs of basic vanilla and chocolate are generally available on relatively short order. They are happy to provide toppings and an assortment of cones and containers for an additional fee. If you want to get fancy and make your own hot fudge, here is a recipe for that, along with a link to a recipe for a caramel topping.

So why not just do it? Put a couple of tubs of ice cream on order, line up some toppings, and invite the entire neighborhood to make ice cream sundaes with a side of fun memories. Summer doesn’t end until Saturday, Sept. 23.

In a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, cocoa, salt, and half of the chocolate. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the chocolate pieces are completely melted.

Reduce heat and cook at a low boil, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add in butter, vanilla, and remaining chocolate, stirring until smooth.

The toppings table at a recent ice cream social. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source

“The Original Sorbos Edible Straws” can be purchased online. I was told they do not affect the taste of the drink while you are using it, but then it tastes like whatever the flavor is (we had the choice of four flavors) when you eat it. Photo by Pem McNerney/The Source