Resource Wed May 23 2007

Ice Cream Social Scene

By Bryan Delano III

This holiday weekend marks the start of the summer party season and for the next three months Chicagoland will be blowing up with outdoor fun.

Now, we all love our dogs, burgers, kegs, bounce-houses, and cornhole games (the family-friendly ones, anyway), but some occasions call for adding something a little different to the mix. Booking an ice cream truck just might be that good-time x-factor. At the very least it’ll make your festivity stand out from all the boozy, sun drenched clones this summer.

Imagine that jolly ice-cream-man-song ringing out from down the block, getting louder with every house it passes up, until the multi-colored truck rolls to a stop right in front of your party, already in full-swing. The look on partygoer’s faces turns from bewilderment to smiles as, amazingly, they trade their beers and margaritas for bomb-pops and choco-tacos. Everyone hooting and laughing while riding one King Hell wave of sugar high. Oh, jaded party people, I have seen this happen. And it’s a wonderful sight.

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If you’ve got kids at the party, well, no need to imagine anything. It’s pretty much a given that all kids love the ice cream man, and should one show up and park his happy ass at your party, nothing’s gonna ruin the good times—short of little Johnny dropping dead from sheer delight.

Melody Ice Cream Co. (708-516-3757) has a good reputation and a good selection. They charge $50 for the truck rental and generally, $2-$2.50 per treat. Call to discuss pricing and selection options.

And if your gathering can’t facilitate a truck, have no fear, renting an ice cream cart is just as easy. Ice Cream Planet (708-485-2045) has you covered. They offer various sized carts and three tiers of product packages ranging from Blue Bunny and Good Humor to Hagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s. Flat-rate pricing starts at $230.