The ice cream truck continues to bring smiles back

Remember the excitement of seeing the ice cream truck arrive? There was no better feeling as a kid than seeing the ice cream truck drive through your neighborhood.

For Dan Liddic, owner of Here’s the Twist ice cream truck, it’s a tradition he continues every year.

“I get to meet a lot of different people throughout the year, children and adults. And probably the thing I enjoy the most are the children who, 11 years ago, were little guys and are now, you know, 18 years old and they come to the truck and say: hey, do you remember me and I’m like: Yeah, I remember you very well,” said. Liddic.

For 11 years now, Liddic has been making children and adults smile. But owning and operating an ice cream truck business is becoming increasingly difficult.

A case of cones that once cost $25 now costs more than $90. Add to that the thousands of dollars in truck maintenance and weather variables, and you have a risky job to undertake.

“The temperature makes a huge difference if it’s below 60 degrees. You might as well stay home if it’s below 55 degrees. Forget even thinking about going outside. And then, of course, it rains. If it rains, it “It’s like kryptonite,” Liddic said. .

But despite all that, people like Liddic are carrying on the tradition for a whole new generation of kids.

As ice cream trucks become harder and harder to find, he’s dedicated to keeping those memories alive.

“When I was a kid, the truck came every day, every night. And it came through our neighborhood every night. And I think it’s pretty cool to keep the tradition going,” Liddic said.

Liddic says last year he attended 350 events throughout Broome County.

The industry also faces another challenge.

In New York, a new proposal would ban gas-powered ice cream trucks. This has no impact on the upstate, however.