Oh, sweet summer.
While this week looks a little cooler with frequent rain in the forecast, last week certainly heated things up. I spent that 90-plus-degree day at a baseball game, which, though a bit steamy, was still a lot of fun.
In addition to baseball, vacations and swimming, summer of course means ice cream. And if you live in or around Britton, or happen to be visiting, the Kreemee is the place to go for ice cream in this neck of the woods.
Now known as Mac’s Kreemee, the place still has all the tasty treats you might remember from years gone by, along with some newer additions, including hand-scooped hard ice cream. If you follow Mac’s Kreemee on Facebook, you may have seen that they had to deal with a strange incident last week that resulted in some completely unmerited negative Google reviews. It was a whole thing that I won’t attempt to explain here. You can visit their Facebook page if you want the details.
What struck me most, however, was the response. A flurry of glowing comments appeared on their social media pages, along with many appreciative reviews on Google and other review sites. Again, check out their page if you’re curious. That episode, combined with my overall love of ice cream, got me thinking about Kreemee memories from years gone by, so I thought I’d share a few.
As a kid growing up in far-off Lake City, we didn’t get to Britton every day during the summer, but we made frequent trips for swimming lessons and eventually softball, baseball and countless 4-H activities. My mom was usually indulgent enough that a stop at the Kreemee was often part of the deal.
My mom always loved a plain chocolate cone. As for me, some of my favorites were Oreo mint malts. And when they introduced those dirt bowl sundaes with gummy worms, I was all in. Parfaits loaded with hot fudge and peanuts were delightful as well. And if we stopped for an actual meal, a footlong hot dog couldn’t be beat.
For us poor, deprived Lake City kids, our ship really came in during the early 1990s when, much to our delight and the detriment of our parents’ pocketbooks, a Kreemee opened on the edge of town. Owned and operated by Larry and Rosella Hinman, it quickly became one of our favorite destinations. We loved riding our bikes across the grassy field to get there.
Eventually, the Andrews family, who operated the Kreemee in Britton, bought the Lake City location and ran it for a while. Those were the days. Sadly, and understandably, it eventually closed.
Nowadays, most of my Kreemee visits revolve around two things.
The first is my children. They, of course, love ice cream. The youngest still prefers a simple cone, while the oldest has started branching out into more creative options. He always wants a banana split, but I usually try to steer him toward something a little smaller so we’re not dealing with a full-scale sugar high for the next several hours.
Thankfully, they’re finally reaching the age where they can eat ice cream without needing to be completely hosed down afterward. For a few summers, I showed up to the Kreemee armed with bibs and wet washcloths, fully prepared to clean not only my children but also the picnic tables around us.
My other Kreemee visits are a little more secretive.
Those are the times when I’m not with my family and want to order some actual food. The chicken strip basket is my go-to. I’ll happily make chicken nuggets for the kids at home, so they don’t usually get invited on these trips. If my family happens to be out of town or I can sneak away for a meal, you might find me slinking around town carrying a basket of chicken strips.
If you see me, please don’t report it back to my husband.
Anyway, I hope you make a visit to the Kreemee soon. Aaron and Phil are doing a heck of a job not only keeping the place going but helping it grow in new ways. Even when faced with some negativity last week, I think they came out better for it thanks to a community that spoke up in support, and hopefully ordered a heck of a lot of ice cream to make up for the annoyance.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go grab an Oreo mint malt.
