Celebrating National Ice Cream Month
Writer / Julie Engelhardt
Photography Provided
Summer is officially upon us, which means we’re in the throes of hot and humid weather for the time being. How do you beat the heat? Many choose to cool down by eating a sweet treat, like ice cream.
July is National Ice Cream Month, which gives us the perfect excuse to dip into a bowlful of traditional vanilla or chocolate flavors – or take it up a notch with richer selections such as butter pecan, rocky road, eggnog, cookies and cream, raspberry ripple…the list goes on.
We’re here to give you the scoop on the history of this special occasion, and how ice cream was invented, plus we’ll check out some of the hot spots in Louisville for these creamy confections.
How, when and where did National Ice Cream Month begin? Many may not know this fact, but it started right here in Kentucky.
Senator Walter Darlington “Dee” Huddleston introduced a resolution to proclaim the month of July in 1984 as National Ice Cream Month, and the third Sunday of that month as National Ice Cream Day. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law the same year, and the rest is history. Here is the former president’s cool proclamation:
“Ice cream is a nutritious and wholesome food, enjoyed by over 90% of the people in the United States. It enjoys a reputation as the perfect dessert and snack food. Over 887 million gallons of ice cream were consumed in the United States in 1983.
The ice cream industry generates approximately $3.5 billion in annual sales and provides jobs for thousands of citizens. Indeed, nearly 10% of all the milk produced by the United States dairy farmers is used to produce ice cream, thereby contributing substantially to the economic well-being of the nation’s dairy industry.
The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 298, has designated July 1984 as National Ice Cream Month, and July 15, 1984, as National Ice Cream Day, and authorized and requested the president to issue a proclamation in observance of these events.
Now, therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, president of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 1984 as National Ice Cream Month and July 15, 1984, as National Ice Cream Day, and I call upon the people of the United States to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”
Continuing his fandom of ice cream, four years later in 1988, President Reagan named Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s as the U.S. Small Business Persons of the Year.
Even though it feels at time that Ben and Jerry invented ice cream, who actually came up with the idea?
The origin of ice cream likely dates back to between 54 to 68 A.D., during the time when Nero was emperor of Rome. Evidence shows that harvesting ice or snow, then adding honey or other flavorings to the slush, made an ice-cream like concoction. It’s also thought that Alexander the Great may have enjoyed icy drinks that had flavorings such as honey or nectar too.
The first appearance of ice cream in the U.S. is found in a letter by former Maryland Governor William Bladen. Early presidents also had a liking towards ice cream. In fact, in the summer of 1790, George Washington spent approximately $200 on ice cream. For a while, ice cream was only an occasional special treat, mainly for the rich.
Fast-forward to the 19th century, and we find that Nancy Johnson, an American inventor and entrepreneur born in New York, patented the hand-crank ice cream maker. Eight years later, Jacob Fussell built the first ice cream factory. The invention of mechanical refrigeration units helped keep large amounts of ice cream cool, allowing for more people to purchase this confection.
So what do Louisville locals think about ice cream, what’s their favorite, and where do they buy theirs?
Nikki Ownbey says her favorite place to buy ice cream is Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen.
“Their vanilla and mint chocolate chip are amazing,” she says.
Owners Gina and Mike Cox opened Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen in 1982. It began as a lunch counter in Louisville, in what had been an old automotive dealership. Not only were they doing well with their lunch offerings, but they also began gaining quite the reputation for their marvelous pies. Their lunch counter soon made way for a pie case, which soon was followed by an ice cream case. They soon purchased an ice cream machine in order to make their ice cream from scratch.
Amanda Spalding and Sara Banks place their votes for Comfy Cow ice cream.
“I like the Bourbon Ball ice cream at Comfy Cow,” Banks says.
Spalding agrees, and elaborates by saying that she loves this particular treat because the chocolate in the ice cream really enhances the caramel and smokey notes of the bourbon flavor. Her go-to location is in the Paddock Shops.
The Comfy Cow has been around since 2009, and was founded in Louisville by Tim Koons-McGee and his partner and spouse, Roy Koons-McGee. They took pride in offering top-quality products in family-friendly locations. In 2018 they sold their business to Louisville investor Chip Hamm. Besides Bourbon Ball being a favorite flavor, the shop also serves Brown Butter Peanut Brittle, Cake Batter Up, and Black Raspberry Chip.
Mary Thacker says that her favorite is Ehrler’s chocolate.
Ehrler’s got its start way back in 1867 in Louisville. Joseph Maria Ehrler opened his own milk farm off of what is now Shelbyville Road. He delivered fresh milk twice a day, seven days a week. As the family business grew, Joseph and his wife, Lizzy, bought 40 acres of land to expand their enterprise. With that came a fleet of trucks with efficient cooling systems. Their product line grew to include cream, butter and ice cream. Ehrler’s became Louisville’s largest independent dairy provider.
More locals chimed in with their favorite ice cream providers. Brenda Tierney-Renz picks Dairy Del on 7th Street.
“They have the best homemade orange sherbet,” she says. “It makes me feel like a child. They also serve chocolate malts that my mom loves.”
Finally, Jan Stuecker is a big fan of Graeter’s ice cream. She gets her ice cream fix from the store in Avish Gardens on the east side of town, across from the Paddock Shops. What flavor makes her happy?
“The Turtle Sundae…mmm,” she says.
No matter what your favorite flavor is or where you like to buy it, just remember to celebrate in July with a big, delicious bowl or cone filled with ice cream!
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