Utica Ice Cream Festival Celebrates 50 Years

Sweety and sticky summer goodness has its place in our hearts, and this year it comes in the form of a 50-year anniversary for the Utica Ice Cream Festival. Since 1976, this central Ohio town has gathered each year to celebrate ice cream thanks to an initial partnership between a local community organization and Velvet Ice Cream, which got its start in town in 1914.

The festival returns Memorial Day weekend, May 23 through 25 this year, and brings live entertainment, children’s activities, classic cars and, of course, plenty of ice cream. A parade travels 1.5 miles through downtown Utica and features a Velvet Ice Cream truck along the route.

“For many families, the festival is a summer tradition you plan around,” Joanne Dager, vice president of Velvet Ice Cream, said in the same March 30 press release. “A 50th anniversary deserves something special, and we cannot wait to celebrate this milestone with the entire community.”

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of this beloved community festival, Velvet Ice Cream is planning an expanded lineup of entertainment, including commemorative elements that pay tribute to the festival’s history and the people who have made it possible.

“Fifty years of the Utica Ice Cream Festival is a powerful reminder of what a community can build when people show up for each other year after year,” Luconda Dager, president of Velvet Ice Cream said in a March 30 press release. “The festival is about tradition, connection and the pride people feel when they call Utica home.”

The festival kicks off at 11 a.m. on May 23, and the last time to get your fill of ice cream is prior to the festival’s close at 4 p.m. on May 25.

For more information, visit velveticecream.com/ice-cream-festival.

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