Who remembers chasing the ice cream truck down the street as a child, pile of loose change in hand, seeking their favorite frozen treat? How about taking family trips to the local ice cream shop after a long beach vacation day? Well, July is National Ice Cream Month, so get ready to celebrate and make some new memories! In honor of this delightful holiday, we’re dishing up some ice cream-related activities, recipes, fun facts and cool finds. Let’s raise a cone and toast to one of America’s favorite desserts.
Is National Ice Cream Month Really A Thing?
Thankfully, it is! According to the International Dairy Foods Association, in 1984, President Ronald Reagan declared the month of July as National Ice Cream Month. He also named the third Sunday of July National Ice Cream Day. In 2020, this falls on Sunday, July 19—mark those calendars!
President Reagan’s proclamation states, “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.” He then called upon the people of the United States “to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” I mean, who are we to argue with President Reagan? Let the celebrations begin, and continue all month long!
Five Ways to Celebrate National Ice Cream Month
Although ice cream can be enjoyed every day, we’ve compiled a list of fun activities to make your National Ice Cream Month more festive and fun. Use these as a starting point, but don’t hesitate to dream up your own sweet ideas too.
Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast
Why not blow the kids’ minds and start the month off right? Let them have ice cream for breakfast! Our favorite ways to serve it are atop a pile of warm pancakes, drizzled with honey or maple syrup, or in a breakfast bowl completely hidden by their favorite cereal. (Surprise!)
Eating ice cream for breakfast is a suggestion that even scientists can get behind. According to one study, this is good for you. Apparently, eating something ice cold upon waking shocks the brain into being active and also increases alertness and mental capacity. You can’t argue with science!
Take An Ice Cream Personality Quiz
Seeking something fun to do after breakfast? Take the ice cream personality quiz from National Geographic Kids. Is your zest for life refreshing and minty? Or do you have a choc-tastic sense of humor? Find out, and when you’re done, check out their list of the eight weirdest ice cream flavors, too. Bet you don’t have too many of these in your freezer…
Create an Ice Cream Sundae Bar
One of the best ways we can think of to celebrate National Ice Cream Month is to throw an ice cream sundae bar party. Grab several different flavors, cones, wet and dry toppings, whipped cream and cherries and create an at-home ice cream buffet. Everyone can customize their own creation and no one has to feel guilty about going back for seconds.
Make Your Own Ice Cream
Sure, there’s basically an endless selection of ice cream goodness at the grocery store, but don’t things usually take better homemade? Take complete control over your ingredients, take pride in your own culinary genius and have fun in the process with these recipes for DIY ice cream at home. Enjoy them as-is, or get creative and use these as a base for adding more mix-ins and flavors.
- The Only Ice Cream Recipe You’ll Ever Need by Melissa Clark
- Chocolate Ice Cream by Alton Brown
- Cookies and Cream Ice Cream by Barefeet in the Kitchen
- Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream by Simply Recipes
- The Best Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe by The Endless Meal
READ MORE: 6 REASONS TO MAKE HOMEMADE ICE CREAM & POPSICLES THIS SUMMER SEASON
Find Free Ice Cream
OK, maybe you’ve already eaten ice cream for breakfast, made your own recipe or served up a phenomenal ice cream sundae bar. What’s next? Going in search of free ice cream, of course! Many ice cream shops run special promotions during National Ice Cream Month where you can pick up a free or discounted scoop in honor of this special occasion. Here’s an article that lists some of the stores that ran promotions last year, to give you an idea. Just consult Google and include keywords National Ice Cream Month or National Ice Cream Day to see who might be offering similar deals this year.
Five Fun Facts In Honor of National Ice Cream Month
And now, a little something for the trivia buffs out there… What do you know about the invention of ice cream? How about the story behind the first ice cream cone? Here are five fun facts with links to explore more.
- Mystery history—The origin of ice cream goes back as far as the second century B.C., but no inventor has ever formally been credited with this fantastic discovery and no date has been confirmed. Learn more about several of the possible theories.
- Fun at the fair—The ice cream cone was first created at the 1904 World’s Fair. Though historians have conflicting thoughts on who the first creator may have been, reports confirm that it was first introduced to America at this event.
- I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream—No doubt, many of us have heard this catchy tune over the years. But do you know where the phrase originated? It was an advertising slogan for a product we are all familiar with, the Eskimo Pie, which originated in the 1920s as the I-Scream bar.
- The dreaded brain freeze—Ever eat ice cream so fast that you get a brain freeze? What causes an ice cream headache to occur? Here’s a hint, it may have something to do with small blood vessels located on the roof of your mouth getting too cold too fast. So what’s the solution? Try pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth until the discomfort subsides.
- Record-breaking desserts—Would you like a small or large ice cream scoop for dessert? How about one that weighs 3,010 pounds? According to Guinness World Records, that’s the record for the largest scoop of ice cream. It was strawberry flavored, used about 733 containers of ice cream and was over 5’6″ tall! Read about this and more super cool records that have yet to be licked.
READ MORE: 3 DAIRY FREE ICE CREAM RECIPES
Cool Ice Cream Finds That Make Great Gifts
Why don’t more people celebrate National Ice Cream Month? I mean, have you ever been invited to a National Ice Cream Month party? Received a National Ice Cream Month gift? No? We could all use some extra reasons to celebrate these days… Why not start this month? Here are some must-have gift ideas for yourself, or the ice cream lover in your life.
- Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet and Ice Cream Maker
- Sanders Sundae Best Gourmet Dessert Topping Gift Box
- Astronaut Ice Cream
- Greenco Vibrant Colors Ice Cream Dessert Bowls and Spoons
- Intex Ice Cream Mat
What Are You Waiting For? Start Planning Your Celebration!
Whether you’re a chocolate or vanilla ice cream fan, or you prefer homemade or store-bought, there are countless ways to celebrate National Ice Cream Month. Make a quick grocery run and plan a simple treat, or go all-out with several of these ideas throughout the month of July. Either way, this is one cool holiday that can’t be topped. (Unless you’re talking about toppings, of course.) Enjoy, and be sure to share your ideas for celebrating in the comments!
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