Sun Valley Idaho – Those dang Idahoans love their ice cream. 

In fact, folks in Sun Valley have achieved a three fold ice cream mission.  Make some great ice cream, giving the proceeds to charity and furthermore, now their ice cream shop runs on solar power.  Previously, Leroys, the cute little ice-cream shack that donates all its profits to local schools (since 2006, more than $47,000 and counting), was just that, an uninsulated shed only able to serve up scoops for schools when the sun shone in the summer

Sagebrush Solar played an integral role in getting the solar thermal panel donated and then spent of lot of their time installing the system. Anderson Insulation donated time and material, Elias Construction provided much of the manpower and Jon Nasvik at Cliff Hangers worked on the concrete at a huge discount.”

The system saves money on hot water, although not a huge amount is used. The real benefit is what the system allows. Without it, Leroy’s simply could not operate in cold temperatures. In other words, it’s not so much about what we are saving, but what the community is gaining.

For more info on the story click HERE

Bay of Islands New Zealand – A 10 year old kiwi boys trip to the ice cream shop took a strange detour when he got his ice cream money caught in his throught.

The Tauranga boy, his brother and sister were on their way to their local shop to buy an icecream about 4pm on Sunday.

The boy’s father, radio identity Grayson Ottaway, said his son could not remember what happened next, other than the moment of swallowing the $2 coin.

“It was a bit traumatic for him. We seem to think he was playing around and had it sitting in the side of his mouth, maybe he was tying his shoes laces or something,” Mr Ottaway said.  The boy was taken to Tauranga Hospital where an X-ray revealed the golden culprit sitting wedged in his oesophagus.

“They looked at the X-ray and saw where it was and said there’s no way he’s going to be able to cough that up.” 
Transfer plans were made to take Mr Ottaway’s son to Waikato Hospital, where he could be operated on and the coin safely removed. Mr Ottaway said the incident left his son too weak to stand that day but he was grateful it was not in his windpipe.

The boy was given a general anaesthetic about midnight and taken into theatre, where doctors used long medical tongs to retrieve the coin.  “It literally took 15 minutes, if that,” Mr Ottaway said

Like I’ve always said to my kids, “Dont run around with ice cream money in your mouth!”  For the more on this story click HERE

Plano Texas – Henry Gentry is a good friend of The Ice Cream Bloke.  We only catch up once or twice a year, but his slogan “Ice Cream Makes You Pretty” certainly has worked for me.

Henry recently claimed top honors in the National Ice Cream Retailers Associations awards and even the Plano local news is excited.  For more info on Henrys shop – visit http://www.henryshomemadeicecream.com/

Husdonville Michigan – The Hudsonville Ice Cream Company is inviting the world to help them develop a flavor that reflects the great things about Michigan.  Whats in it for you?  Ice Cream royalty….and well… a thousand bucks.

The public is invited to share ideas about “what flavor best captures the many naturally great things that Michigan offers,” according to a news release.  

Throughout the campaign, Hudsonville Ice Cream will distribute the winning flavor — touted as the official ice cream of Michigan state parks and Pure Michigan — to retail outlets and ice cream parlors throughout the state and Midwest, as well as at stops along the summer ice cream tour.  The contest runs through Jan. 29. The grand prize for the person who submits the winning flavor includes free Hudsonville ice cream for a year, a one-week stay in a Michigan state park or harbor of the winner’s choosing, a $1,000 Meijer gift card, and Pure Michigan merchandise.

Winners will be judged by a panel of kids and celebrity judges.  To enter or receive more information about the competition, click HERE

Rockford Michigan – Every year about this time the folks around Rockford Michigan gather together to worship everying ice.  This years festival will be held at the town square.  There will be many chilly activities to occupy your time like mini ice golf, and ice carving, but the main event this year is the world record ice cream sundae attempt.

The attempt at “The Worlds Largest Continuous Ice Cream Sundae Bar” will hopefully enter the record books at about 12pm on Saturday the 14th of January and believe me – there will be plenty of ice cream sundaes to go around after the official announcement.

For more information on the festival and its events, go to www.rockfordicefestival.com

Ambala India – Researchers at the  M.M. College of Dental Sciences and Research in India have found that eating probiotic ice cream can increase dental health.

The findings could lead to increased usage of dairy foods, which are ideal vehicles for probiotic bacteria, as a means of preventing caries colonization in children, according to the study authors, from Dr. HS Judge Institute of Dental Sciences and Hospital, M.M. College of Dental Sciences and Research, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Apparantly ice cream and other probiotic frozen desserts are an exceptional carrier for healthy bacteria to penetrate and provide health to the oral region. For much more technical information that I am able to espouse – click HERE

Melbourne Australia – While the rest of us hunker down for the sleet, snow and general miserable weather in the northern hemisphere, its an ice cream paradise in Australia.  Record heat waves reaching 104 and above are casuing some ice cream and frozen dessert shops to run out of ice cream.

Fritz Gelato owner Andrew Johnston said trade was “ridiculous” over the new year long weekend, with the mercury soaring to 40C on Monday and reaching almost 30C yesterday afternoon.  “On a hot summer’s night we do 70 times more sales than on a cold windy day,” Mr Johnston said.  “We ran out of chocolate, vanilla, blood orange, lemon, a bunch of sorbets. We were totally cleaned out yesterday and pretty much the same the day before.”

Mr Johnston said he was starting work at 5am to fuel the demand for ice-cream, which saw his Queenscliff store order two 500-litre batches over two days.  He said he was extending trading hours up to 11.30pm to feed customers.  St Kilda Fritz Gelato ice-cream seller Adam Blau said the lines were 10-deep and flowing on to the pavement.

“The higher it gets above 30C the more people we get out here,” Mr Blau said.  For more on this story click HERE

Tacoma Washington -   Attention all ice cream lovers – Be on the look out for a stolen Cushman Ice Cream scooter that was stolen from Laurie Meade’s Parkland home on Christmas night.  Thieves not only took the vehicle but it was also loaded with ice cream novelties.

Meade, 55, peddles ice cream bars and other frozen treats from the three-wheeled vehicle to supplement her federal disability payments, which she uses to support herself and three of her children.

“I just don’t know what we’re going to do if we don’t get it back,” Meade said this week.
Someone stole the vehicle late Christmas night or early Monday from the driveway of her home in the 10400 block of Sheridan Avenue South, she said.

“I went out the day after Christmas to run an errand and it wasn’t there,” Meade said.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/12/30/1964062/christmas-night-ice-cream-truck.html#storylink=cpy

Sacramento California – 2 rock weilding bandits approached an ice cream truck in suburban sacramento today and threatened the driver for cash.

Believe it or not the 2 crooks actually obtained a small amount of cash before hurling the igneous weapon at the driver who sustained minor injuries. The Sacramento Police attended, located one of the offenders who will be breaking rocks for the next 12 months in a state rock field.

Fort Wayne Indiana – Its a Rocky Road down Interstate 69 in Fort Wayne as 40,000 pounds of Edys Ice Cream explode onto the highway as two trucks collide at 4pm yesterday. 

The Journal Gazette reports the spill happened about 4 p.m. Friday and was expected to be totally cleaned up by late Friday. One southbound lane remained open initially, then the other was re-opened an hour later.

 Police say the truck was trying to enter the interstate from a ramp when it tipped.

 According to the Journal Gazette, “The crash itself did not cause ice cream to spill onto the interstate. But when two large tow trucks used cables to drag the rig closer to the shoulder, hundreds of 1.5-quart containers – the kind you’d see in a grocery store – came out of the top of the trailer, which had cracked open.”

 Flavors included various types of vanilla, and caramel praline crunch. It was all Edy’s ice cream and frozen yogurt.

For more on the story – read HERE