Each Year, in celebration of National Ice Cream Month, the “Can Do” Street Community Center holds an ice cream social on the third Sunday of July.

This year, choosing what ice cream to have was much tougher than last year. Why? Well last year, some of the “Can Dos” ate far too much ice cream at the ice cream social and were up most of the night with tummy trouble.

So, parents and staff of the “Can Do” Street Community Center agreed to limit the amount of ice cream each child could eat at the social. Since the ice cream was free, it was only natural that the “Can Dos” would want to try all the flavors they could in a cone or a dish or a sundae.

On the day of the ice cream social, just before it started, Miss Sue, Director of the Community Center, sat all the “Can Dos” down and explained how they could select their ice cream. First, she gave out a card that said:

This card entitles the holder to:

1. A teaspoon sampling size of several kinds of ice cream and one small cone or sundae

Or

2. A regular size cone or sundae, topping of your choice

Miss Sue suggested that they visit every ice cream stand first, to see what they had, and then go back and make a decision on what to choose. Once each of them chose either 1 or 2, their cards would be stamped and collected.

Well, some of the “Can Dos” were really disappointed that their ice cream choices were going to be limited, but the ones who had tummy trouble after last year’s social were secretly glad.

They set out as a group and visited each stand. Oh, there was so much to choose from! There was:

• A table with tiny plastic spoons, small ice cream cups, cute paper napkins and several flavors of homemade ice cream. There also was sherbet and sorbet.
• A table where the “Can Dos” could use their favorite flavors to fill either a small or regular size cone or make a sundae in small or regular size pretty parfait and sundae dishes, and waffle bowls. There were sprinkles, syrups, nuts, crushed cookies, coconut, whipped cream and other fun toppings.
• A beverage center full of ice and bottled water, where the “Can Dos” could get as much water as they wanted to wash down their treats.

Well, no surprise, Hector, dropped off from the group as they walked around before making their ice cream choices. The next time they saw him he was almost finished eating a regular size cone with three different toppings on it!

No sooner had Hector joined the group again when he saw a ice cream stand he hadn’t seen before and there, right before his eyes were his favorite sundae fixings…vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce, walnuts and Oreo cookie crumbs!

Hector tried to get one of the other “Can Dos” to use his card to get a hot fudge sundae,and share with him, but no one wanted to do it. Hector soon finished his cone and had to spend the rest of the afternoon watching his friends make thoughtful choices about how to use their ice cream cards.

What would you have done, boys and girls? Would you have chosen to sample different ice cream flavors and then get a small cone or sundae of your choice? Would you have just walked around until you found your favorite flavor and made a regular cone or sundae with that flavor and your favorite toppings?