August 30, 2018
An Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social
By Mary Schricker Gemberling
Our local weekly newspaper, the Olympia Review, carries articles and advertisements of happenings in a number of small towns around us. In the summer months, it is not unusual to see several ice cream socials being hosted by area churches. I do not recall ever attending an ice cream social in my years growing up in St. Louis, so I was curious about the origin of this tradition. The first recorded ice cream social was during the reign of England’s King Charles II.
In the late 1600’s, ice cream was an expensive commodity that was only served to the king’s table at the royal feast. Due to the lack of resources available to make this delicious treat, ice cream was only enjoyed by members of the upper class until the late 1700s and early 1800s. The earliest recorded American ice cream social dates back to 1744 when Maryland Governor Thomas Bladen served ice cream at a dinner party for the first time in American History. Thomas Jefferson became the first President to serve ice cream at the White House in 1802. Eventually, Ice Cream Socials became popular among the middle class and before long many organizations and churches were hosting gatherings with ice cream as the main event!
One might think that in this age rifled with social isolation and electronic dependency, the old-fashioned ice cream social could be a dying institution. However, this did not seem to be the case when, on a recent July Saturday, Gary and I joined other members of Ebenezer United Methodist church at our annual ice cream social. When we arrived most of the tables in the fellowship hall and down the corridors of the church annex were already filled with people enjoying good food and comradery. We made our way through the food line and joined an almost full table of familiar and not so familiar faces. As we ate our dinner, we acquainted ourselves with the tablemates we had not met and visited with the familiar people around us.
The church members were responsible for various tasks before, during and after the event and our shift was about to begin. Gary scooped ice cream and I helped in the kitchen with whatever needed to be done.
Throughout the evening I watched a steady stream of people come and go, most of them lingering far beyond their meal to visit. I observed that most interactions knew no generational boundaries; old neighbors greeted one another; new ones were introduced with a handshake; an occasional hug between two people distanced by time; and laughter…..lots of laughter. As the evening progressed I also noticed the absence of electronic devices. Matter of fact, I do not believe I heard a single cell phone ring during the entire time I was at the church.
People had come to the church on this night for more than pie or cake topped with homemade ice cream; they came to nurture their souls with laughter and kindness; to feel a part of something bigger than their own small world. They came to perpetuate and celebrate a tradition of Ebenezer United Church ice cream socials. But more importantly they came for good old-fashioned face to face fellowship!
Dave Dawson attended Ebenezer as a child and is presently Lay Leader of the church. He shed some light on the history of our ice cream socials. “I can remember making ice cream when I was 12 or 13…about 1960 or earlier. Ebenezer quit in the middle to late 60’s. We started up again right after the church was re-built (the old one was destroyed by a tornado in 1996). It was an all- day project with cooking and making ice cream in the morning and baking and serving in the afternoon.”
Marianne Johnson who grew up in the church had this to say: “People come from all over (even other states) to support this event. How they find out about this event I do not know but they come and enjoy themselves and we welcome them all. In the earlier days of ice cream socials at Ebenezer, when you arrived, you were given a number. Then you waited for that number to be called before you could come inside and enjoy the delicious homemade sandwiches, desserts and especially the ice cream. The old Ebenezer church was much smaller than today’s church so you patiently waited and visited with all until that number was called. There was always a baseball game in progress across the road so the kids would all go play baseball until it was time to eat. We’ve had so much fun at these ice cream socials and as I think back, the memories are priceless. I went to my first Ice Cream Social as a young child and now I’m one of the workers putting on the event. It’s just amazing how this type of event has survived over the years and continues to thrive to bring people together.”
Jim Lynch, who also has been going to Ebenezer since he was a small child, added another interesting story about his memories of the ice cream socials: “First coming to mind are the morning sessions making the ice cream. The ladies mixed the various flavors in the kitchen and the men ran the hand-cranked freezers in the adjacent room. There were several children in the mix and the boys got to stand on the large freezers to hold them in place so the men could crank with both hands as the 5-gallon containers froze up. We held our arms up against the ceiling to balance ourselves as well as hold the containers in place. Never ceased to amaze me how strong those men were!”
As a young girl attending Ebenezer, Vicki Mote remembers the following: “I have great memories from church when I was young with lots of kids around all the time. I remember the ice cream socials as a lot of work and a lot of fun. The men cranked the ice cream by hand and then packed it in a big sea of ice. It tasted incredible-the texture was unbelievable. For the entire time, we had people lined up all around the church. And of course it was always hot and no air conditioning, but we served everyone in the basement which I’m sure helped. The kids helped the ladies make sandwiches in the morning and then bussed tables in the afternoon. And I’m sure I did my share of running around.”
Mary, a former educator and Seniors Real Estate Specialist, is the author of three books, The West End Kid, Labor of Love; My Personal Journey through the world of Caregiving, and Hotel Blackhawk; A Century of Elegance.
