Ice Cream Dreams and Michigan Memories

July is National Ice Cream month. While the month is almost over, we still have another month of summer to enjoy it. Michigan is "the land of ice cream dreams." Sample these frosty delicacies and reminisce with me about bygone ice cream dreams in Michigan.

Ice cream has spelled summer since the Chinese invented it 3,000 years ago. It was primarily for nobility and the upper class until 1776, when the first public ice cream parlor opened in New York City. Ice cream went portable when edible coronets, or cones, made from waffles were introduced at the St. Louis World's Fair. My grandmother remembered buying ice cream squares wrapped in paper, from street vendors in Grand Rapids, Mich. When I was a kid, the Good Humor man still sold frozen novelties, accompanied by a cheerful tune.

I grew up in Muskegon, Mich., in 1960s and 1970s. Dairy Queen, Tastee-Freez and other seasonal, walk-up ice cream stands ruled the street. My dad was the Rootbeer Float King; few summer evenings went by without a trip to the ice cream stand for this seasonal favorite.

Back in the day, ice cream was a quarter a scoop. Miss Lisa's near the U.S.31 on-ramp in Ferrysburg, Mich., is still open. It still has the best prices and still serves local Michigan Hudsonville Ice Cream, the best in the world. Hudsonville invented Mackinaw Island Fudge and Moose Tracks flavors. Miss Lisa's still sells a small single scoop under a buck; most of our downtown ice cream shops are charging $3.75 a scoop.

Two chain ice cream establishments, were Michigan favorites. House of Flavors featured the Pig's Dinner (five kinds of ice cream) and gave out yellow and blue "I Made a Pig of Myself at House of Flavors" buttons if you ate it all. Baskin-Robbins featured the famous 31 Flavors. Of the many House of Flavors, only two still exist in Ludington and Manistee, Mich.

In the early-1970s Michigan tried recreating the Gay Nineties ice-cream parlors. In Muskegon, there was the High Wheeler. In Grand Rapids, folks loved Farrell's Ice Cream, with its Dixieland feel. The Farrell's brass band, with bass drum and Barbershop Quartet, would play and sing "Happy Birthday" to guests.

Soda fountains were also popular. The soda fountain was a counter, set up in drug stores. If I was good while shopping Grandma got me an ice cream from Dean's (later Strayer's) Pharmacy on Broadway in Muskegon. A block away from my house in Grand Haven, is Pfaff Pharmacy. Their 1950s style fountain still has spinning red-topped stools and uses the old stainless steel ice cream mixers, freezers and utensils. These were made a few blocks away at the long-defunct Bastian-Blessing. Pfaff still serves phosphates, sundaes, triple-scoop cones, floats, malteds, sodas and Lime and Cherry Cokes (not the canned kind, these are made from fruit syrup). A chocolate malt from Pfaff's is ambrosia of the gods.

Ben and Jerry's and Haagen-Daz make a decent ice cream. So does Cold Stone. It isn't necessary to spend $4 for a cup if you don't want to, though. Try one of the little vendors and stands that dot many a Michigan main street. Better price; same taste of summer.

Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes from growing up in the Great Lakes State, on (and usually in) Lake Michigan. She likes to share "Pure Michigan" memories.