DUG'S DAIRY: FOUNDING FATHER APPROVED FUN

The 4th of July is upon us. Time to celebrate our country’s Independence Day like our Founding Fathers did-with booze, BBQ, fireworks, and ice cream. Ok, maybe George Washington wasn’t grilling burgers and dogs while drinking Buds at Mount Vernon back in the day, but celebratory fireworks have been a long-standing tradition to mark momentous occasions, so that part rings true. Also, GW was a huge fan of ice cream. He even owned his own “cream machine for ice”. It is documented that he had quite the love of this tasty treat, spending $200.00 (about $3,500.00 today) for ice cream during the summer of 1790. Washington wasn’t the only Founding Father that loved ice cream. Thomas Jefferson was said to have a created an ice cream concoction that resembled a Baked Alaska and to have his own recipe for vanilla ice cream. In 1813 Dolly Madison served ice cream at James Madison’s second inaugural banquet. While James Madison is known as the “Father of The Constitution”, Dolly should be known as the “First Lady of Ice Cream”.  She made ice cream a White House staple. It was an impressive and luxurious treat to be served since modern refrigeration methods had not been invented yet. Her preferred flavor was Oyster Ice Cream (thanks Dolly, but I will pass.) Other 18th century White House flavors were Asparagus, Parmesan, and Chestnut. (no and no, but maybe on the Chestnut)

Summertime is finally here and so is the 4th Of July. Let’s celebrate Independence Day like our Founding Fathers did- enjoying this indulgent treat. Stroll, bike, jog, or drive down to the Buffalo Harbor State Park at 1111 Fuhrmann Blvd to enjoy Buffalo’s remarkable water front (a National Treasure in my book) and pop on by Dug’s Dairy for a cone, a bowl, or even a sundae or a shake. Dug’s Dairy’s ice cream walk up window is located right at Dug’s Dive and is open daily this summer from 12pm-9pm (cash only). While you wont find Oyster Ice Cream on the menu, we do serve Turkey Hill hard ice cream in a variety of flavors: Cotton Candy, Salted Caramel, Mint Chocolate chip, Chocolate, and Vanilla, as well as Upstate Farms Soft Serve flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, and the ever popular Vanilla and Chocolate twist. If you time your visit just right this weekend you may even catch a view of some canal side fireworks- what could be better than that?

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