Showing posts with label ice cream sundae. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ice cream sundae. Show all posts

July 8 - Birth of the Ice Cream Sundae?

 Posted on July 8, 2021

This is an update of my post published on July 8, 2010:




The story goes that on this day in 1881, a man named George Hallauer came into Edward Berner's drug store in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. He sat down at the soda-fountain counter, wanting a chocolate soda (a glass with ice cream, chocolate flavoring, and soda water). But it was Sunday, and by the laws of that place and time, the customer couldn't have soda water. Berner poured chocolate syrup over ice cream in a dish as a substitute, and he called it a Sunday.

Apparently Hallauer liked his Sunday. Soon Berner began to sell the ice cream treat every Sunday (when he couldn't sell sodas), and it eventually became so popular that he began to sell it every day of the week (and with different flavors as well). At that point, Berner changed the spelling from Sunday to sundae.


That's a nice story that tells about the invention and naming of the ice cream sundae—and I found several different sources that recount this story. One article states that there is even a monument commemorating this event in Two Rivers Central Memorial Park.

The story is on an official plaque. So...that means it's
true...right?

Still, some ice-cream historians say that the story isn't accurate. Another history of the first sundae (and the name Sunday or sundae) has more evidence backing it up, and the Official Website of the Ice Cream Sundae has thrown its weight behind the latter story, which occurred in New York in April of 1892.

How can we know which story is true?


Well, Wikipedia states that two high school students have computed that Edward Berner would have only been 16 or 17 in 1881, and they judged it unlikely that he would have owned a drug store at that time. I did something much easier: I checked the internet to see what day of the week July 8, 1881, was—and it wasn't a Sunday, it was a Friday!

My guess is, if the date is wrong, maybe the whole thing is wrong! I guess I will go along with ice cream historians on this one.


So...today isn't the birthday of the ice cream sundae???

Oh well! Celebrate anyway!

You know what to do: make and eat a gigantic ice cream sundae. Here are some recipe ideas.



If you want to REALLY celebrate, play some ice cream games. (Scroll down to find the games.)


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July 11 – Sundaes and Slurpees and Smiles, Oh My!

Posted on July 11, 2018


Today is supposed to be Make Your Own Sundae Day.




It's also Slurpee Day, in honor of the unofficial birthday of the 7-11 store chain. Apparently, if you bring your own cup, you can score a small free slurpee at a 7-11 today!

Every year, 7-11 has a new flavor for Slurpee Day; this year it is Red Dawn Monster Mutant. I bet it tastes a lot like the classic cherry flavor, but that's just a guess. By the way, you can have your freebie be any available flavor - it doesn't have to be the special featured flavor.

I personally would rather make my own sundae than drink a Slurpee. I love the creaminess of ice cream - ESPECIALLY when there is fudge and caramel and chocolate chunks and nuts involved!!!

Fun Facts



  • There are about 60,000 7-11 stores worldwide.








  • A lot of different cities lay claim to being the birthplace of the ice cream sundae. I cannot help thinking that such an obvious idea as topping ice cream with various yummy things has in fact been invented a LOT of times and a LOT of places.
  • The company that became 7-11 first opened in 1927, but it changed its name to 7-11 when it changed its hours to (you guessed it) 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. That change took place in 1946. Some stores are now open 24 hours, but the name is popular enough to keep even when it doesn't match the hours of operation.
  • There used to be "Blue Laws" against selling soda and ice cream sodas on Sunday, on the basis that it is a holy day - at least in Illinois. Some say that that's why an ice cream treat without soda was invented and given a name that sounds like "Sunday." However, historians and etymologists aren't sure this is correct.
  • Slurpees were first sold in 7-11 stores in 1965, under the name ICEEs. Nowadays ICEEs are sold in a lot of places (including movie theaters and convenience stores and amusement parks), and Slurpees are sold in 7-11s. But they are exactly the same thing! And they have a name that includes both ICEEs and Slurpees: they are both slushies!

Ice cream sundaes can be as varied as a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped by chocolate sauce, whipped cream, chopped peanuts, and a cherry...

...or a malted pretzel pie with 8 scoops of different flavors of ice cream, drenched with hot fudge and salted butter caramel, sprinkled with cookie dough, broken pretzels, Ritz crackers, M&Ms, chocolate and rainbow sprinkles, topped with whipped cream and a gummy cow...



...or coconut gelato, coconut wafers, toasted curls of fresh coconut, candied peanuts, whipped cream.




Also on this date:






























































Plan ahead:


Check out my Pinterest boards for:
And here are my Pinterest boards for:


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June 7 – Banana Split Festival in Wilmington, Ohio

Posted June 7, 2013

Apparently there are those who claim that the banana split was invented by a young man in Pennsylvania.

There are those who celebrate National Banana Split Day on August 25.

But the folks of Wilmington, Ohio, give no credence to that nonsense! They stand by their claim that local restaurant owner Ernest Hazard invented the banana split—both the dessert and the name—in 1907. And they created an entire festival to celebrate the invention!

From pony rides to sing-alongs, from a Fun Run to a car show, from the Masters Competition in which chefs build their own versions of banana splits to a make-your-own banana split booth, the Banana Split Festival sounds like a ton of fun!

Necessity is the mother of invention?

Many people say that “Necessity is the mother of invention,” meaning that when people need to get something done, they often end up inventing something in order to do so. But lots of inventions are not thought up to solve a specific problem. Instead, they are the result of play and creative experimentation.

That's what happened with the banana split. Hazard was having a downturn in business at his restaurant, so he started a contest with all of his employees: they could have unlimited access to ingredients as they try to come up with an unusual yet delicious dish. Hopefully, lots of customers would want to come try the new dish!

Hazard ended up winning his own contest with his long dessert treat. He also came up with the name “banana split,” and he stuck with this idea even though a friend told him that nobody would ever order something called a banana split.


Celebrate with your own mini-festival.

Of course, you want to create your own build-a-banana-split bar. Invite your friends and family to enjoy ice cream, bananas, syrups and toppings, whipped cream, nuts, and cherries!

You could have a no-hands sundae-eating contest...if you don't mind a mess!


FreeBirthday Treats has a few other ideas for your mini-festival, such as a cute relay race. 




This healthy "banana split" is made with cottage cheese,
nuts, and strawberry jam. I can see it being made with
yummy vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt, too.
Also on this date:























Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest pages on June holidays, historical anniversaries in June, and June birthdays.

And here are my Pinterest pages on July holidays, historical anniversaries in July, and July birthdays.






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