We all scream for National Ice Cream Month events
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
July is National Ice Cream Month, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate all month long – including stopping into your favorite confectionary for a just-because scoop of your favorite flavor.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Travel near or far for your favorite ice cream this July, National Ice Cream Month. This year, National Ice Cream Day falls on Sunday, July 17.
Sarris Candies in Canonsburg offers more than just chocolate. Its ice cream parlor is a popular destination for people from all over Western Pennsylvania.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Kiera Drilak enjoys a frozen treat outside Sarris’ Candies in this file photo from August.
It isn’t just another silly reason to indulge.
National Ice Cream Month is an American tradition dating back to 1984, when President Ronald Reagan issued a proclamation declaring July ice cream month and the third Sunday of the month National Ice Cream Day.
This year’s local events are the cherry on top of a sweet monthlong celebration. Along with the occasional just-because visit to your favorite locally owned confectionary (and there are plenty in this area!), you’ll want to save the date – and room in your stomach – for the following ice cream-centric happenings.
All July Long
Every day is a celebration at 5 Kidz Kandy in Waynesburg, where sprinkles and whipped cream on any cone or cup is on the house this month. Shark Week begins July 24, and owner Kristy Vliet said the candy shop and confectionary will – da na na na – serve up ocean slushies to celebrate the practically-holiday within the ice cream holiday month.
July 14 Peters Township ‘I Scream for Ice Cream Social'
I scream, you scream, the kids scream for ice cream! On July 14, Peters Township Parks and Recreation is hosting an ice cream social for kids ages 3 to 5.
“I’m obsessed with ice cream. I saw that it’s National Ice Cream Month. I decided to do a program with kids and their parents, guardians,” said Parks and Recreation director Kristen Martin. “We’re going to play ice cream-themed games, make an ice cream craft and make actual ice cream ourselves.”
Along with the homemade ice cream, there will be a sundae bar. Yes, adults may indulge, Martin laughed.
Tickets are $8 for members, $12 for nonmembers, and the registration deadline is Tuesday, July 12. Folks may sign up online at https://www.peterstownship.com/427/Programs or in person at the community center.
Venture Outdoors’ Ice Cream Bike Ride
Hard cap the evening with Venture Outdoors’ Ice Cream Bike Ride, which meets in Lawrenceville’s Arsenal Park at 6 p.m. The scenic route winds down Butler Street, into the Strip District and back again and includes stops at two of Pittsburgh’s favorite ice creameries.
Tickets must be purchased in advance and do not include ice cream (indulge in as much or as little as you like!): https://www.ventureoutdoors.org/activity/ice-cream-bike-ride/.
July 17
July 17 is the triple scoop cone of holidays: It’s National Ice Cream Day. Like the combinations of two-scoop sundaes you can order at a local confectionary, there are countless ways to celebrate Ice Cream Day. Head to your favorite small-town ice creamery for a banana split; split a sundae with your best friend; slurp a shake. Whatever you do, make sure to somehow incorporate ice cream into your day.
July 17-23
To celebrate National Ice Cream Month, Baskin-Robbins is debuting a new flavor: OREO S’mores, a toasted marshmallow and graham ice cream bursting with Oreo pieces and chocolate cookie swirls. The company is sweeting this month’s celebrations by offering $5 off every order of $15 or more, beginning on National Ice Cream Day through July 23.
July 30
Is there anything sweeter than ice cream for breakfast? Sarris Candies doesn’t think so. The Canonsburg-based candy company is hosting its fourth Ice Cream for Breakfast Social from 9 a.m. to noon on July 30 to raise money for the Pennsylvania Keystone Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“The whole idea was to do it for kids, because nobody gets ice cream for breakfast. We had a reason to bring your kids and come down and support a wonderful organization,” said Bill Sarris, president of Sarris Candies.
Previously, the social was held a few days before school began – a last hurrah of sorts. But Sarris realized July “is just a good time” to enjoy ice cream for breakfast, so this year’s event falls, happily, at the very end of National Ice Cream Month.
Sarris said ice cream inside the dazzling parlor is tradition, and he is proud that people return to Sarris’ generation after generation. He’s hoping for a big turnout at the breakfast social.
“It’s crazy to see kids at 9 a.m. having a big sundae,” Sarris laughed. “It’s just a fun few hours to raise some money for the MS Society.”