Right out of the past
Popular event at Tupperville museum introduces kids to making homemade ice cream
The lure of fresh hand-cranked homemade ice cream from a traditional recipe recently drew supporters to the Tupperville School Museum.
The annual fundraiser for the museum housed in Tupperville’s one-room school, which opened in 1869, was held on July 28. Ten flavours of homemade ice cream were cranked by hand in an ice cream maker from the
collection of antique freezers and ice cream machines owned by board member George Bruce.
Bruce said the museum has offered traditional ice cream to visitors for decades. Staff and volunteers sometimes hold demonstrations displaying how ice cream was made in the past, which are especially popular with young visitors.
“They have no way of knowing what making ice cream is all about,” he said. “They had a chance to crank on the machine and to eat as much as they wanted afterwards.”
“Most kids would never see a hand-crank done,” said board member Janie Barkhouse, who attended the one-room school until Grade 6, following in the footsteps of her mother and aunt, who were also students at the school.
Ray Mcenaney and his wife Terry were at the fundraiser again this year. The couple has visited the Valley every summer for more than 30 years from their home near Boston. They enjoyed the barbecue, traditional music, dancing and especially the homemade ice cream.
“The sights and sounds are just marvellous in this area, as well as the people,” Ray said. “It’s very encouraging to see an area that is so homey. Everyone reaches out to you. And, it’s been that way all these years.”
Bruce said the board will continue the tradition of hand cranking ice cream for visitors but would like to hear from members of the public who might pass on a traditional recipe for making large amounts of ice cream at a time.