The History of the Ice Cream Truck

May 5, 2014

ice cream truck history

Spring is here…finally.

We’re also seeing some nice warm weather…finally.

It’s getting to be the type of weather where folks want to stay out a little longer in the evening. Maybe take the dog for a walk or do a little grilling for dinner.

It’s also the time of year you start to hear the familiar sound of the ice cream truck.

We all know the song. There is no way it could be anything else. The ice cream truck is rolling in the neighborhood. Get the loose change and cash because the ice cream man (or woman) doesn’t take plastic. Cold cash means cold treats. It’s a freezer full of ice cream goodness on four wheels.

So who first decided it was a good idea to sell ice cream out of the back of the truck? And keep it cold during transportation? For the answer, we delve into another chapter of ice cream history.

It started out in Youngstown, Ohio in 1920. Turns out, the first ice cream man was really a candy maker who also operated an ice cream parlor. Harry Burt was an inventive type when it came to sweet treats. In 1920, he created a smooth chocolate that worked with ice cream. It basically became the chocolate-covered frozen ice cream on a stick we still enjoy today.

But Burt wasn’t done. He want to go mobile. He took to the streets to push his new culinary creation. And he didn’t do it alone. He developed a business plan. Burt hired dozens of drivers, put them in white uniforms, and had them set out in trucks in the area. The trucks had bells to alert people within earshot. The ice cream truck was born.

Today, the bell has been replaced with a jingle and the ice cream truck driver is more likely to be wearing a t-shirt and shorts rather than a white uniform. But people still love their ice cream, in all ways and in a variety of flavors. Ice cream is one of those truly American treats that remind us, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

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