Ice Cream Van on a Sunny Day

About this drawing

An ice cream van rolling down the block is one of summer's best sounds. Selling ice cream on the street goes back a long way. In the 1800s, vendors pushed carts through cities like New York and London, serving small scoops in little glasses that were rinsed and reused.

Once engines and refrigeration arrived, the carts turned into trucks with freezers. Now sellers could cover whole neighborhoods and reach parks, beaches and ball fields. To announce themselves, drivers used bells and later catchy tunes played through a speaker, and kids learned to recognize that music from blocks away.

Ice cream trucks became a true American tradition after World War II, when suburbs grew and streets filled with children. Many still sell frozen novelties on sticks, while others offer soft serve, shakes and sundaes. The signs on this van list cones, sundaes, shakes and floats, a menu that would fit right in at any summer block party.

Drivers have to keep their freezers very cold for the whole route, so many trucks have a cooling system that keeps running even when the engine is off. That way the last cone of the day is just as firm and creamy as the first. Some towns even set rules on how loudly the music can play.

• ice cream van
• ice cream
• summer
• treats
• vehicles