Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

New Castle County Ice Cream Festival highlights local First State businesses

New Castle County’s Ice Cream Festival returns to Rockwood Park later this month, featuring not only ice cream but also foods like the Delaware egg roll and sushi burrito.

 

The festival returned to the First State in 2012 after a five-year hiatus. Now, the focus is more on supporting local Delaware businesses with 90% of the vendors at the event from the First State.

 

HyPoint Farms is one of those local vendors. Sherry Hastings has been an employee of HyPoint Farms for 23 years. She says the company is still in the Meany family nearly 100 years after it was started, but no longer under the Meany family name.

 

“The reason why is back then, they were German and the city wasn’t necessarily German and they wanted to be accepted into the city of Wilmington," Hastings said.

 

Her daughter 18-year-old Kate Hastings was the dipper of the day, serving up two flavors of HyPoint Farms ice cream to elementary students Tuesday morning. She has been helping scoop ice cream since she was six years old, and loves interacting with kids.

 

"The little kids...they make up new flavors every time. like the Barney flavor is their new name for black raspberry," Hastings said. "And just seeing them get so excited about ice cream."

The ice cream company has a legacy in the First State: it will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2019.
 

The company will be among those competing in the “Best Sundae on Sunday” event, with local food writers and restaurant professionals judging the best sundae creation with the award of a free spot in next year’s festival.

 

New Castle County Executive Tom Gordon says he hopes there won’t be rain like there was at last year’s festival.

 

"If you’re religious we want you to pray – if you do a rain dance, or – an un-rain dance, I’m sorry," Gordon said. "I’ve gotta get that right. And maybe last year I said a rain dance. I think I did."

The festival will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday June 25th and Sunday June 26th. Only cash will be accepted for admission and most vendors; the admission fee is $5 and free for kids under 12 accompanied by an adult.
 

Free shuttle bus services will be provided between Rockwood and the parking lots at Merchants Square, Mount Pleasant High School and the Rockwood Office Park. Dogs are allowed at the event, and even on the shuttle busses.

Related Content