New Castle County Executive Tom Gordon joined organizers of the annual New Castle County Ice Cream festival in promoting this year’s event at Rockwood Park.
Event organizers expect about 20,000 people to come each day of the festival, which is set for Saturday, June 27th and Sunday, June 28th.
The festival, which was popular in the ‘90s and then disappeared for several years, was revived in 2012. A year ago, it received coverage from the Food Network and USA Today.
Barry Schlecker, the executive producer of the event, calls the festival “Delaware’s largest family picnic.”
"We keep all the prices affordable. Not every family can schlep down to Atlantic City or Rehoboth. They’re right in their backyard. We can have a two day event, and literally we are here all day," he said.
Since the event is run in collaboration with New Castle County, Schlecker says it’s important to him that the event remain truly local.
"We are very inclusive when it comes to local vendors. 90% of all our businesses, dairies, restaurants, even entertainment, all Delaware people," said Schlecker.
This year, over 12 to 13 ice cream vendors will be in attendance, including UDairy from Newark and Little Babies from Philadelphia. Over 16 restaurants will be serving food. This year’s festivities will also feature several different drone models capturing footage of Rockwood Park and a zipline for kids.