Kids discover wonders of ice cream truck

SANDPOINT - For countless millions of American children, the fine art of negotiation was perfected in those precious seconds between when the ice cream truck first turned onto their block and the moment when it disappeared at the far end of the street.

The tinkling bells of the Good Humor song would send whole neighborhoods of kids scrambling into their houses to plead for a dime - 15 cents if you were really on your game - after which they would run back out to yell “Stop!”

When the ice cream man was still several houses away, the music sounded happy and benign as negotiations centered on promises to tidy up the bedroom or walk the dog.

By the time his truck was right outside the front door, the song took on a note of urgency and stakes were raised as youngsters began promising to rake leaves or clean the garage.

Once the truck reached the critical distance - that which could only be covered at a full sprint or a mad bicycle ride - the tune became a theme song for desperation as mothers extracted pledges for loftier things like finding a cure for the common cold or pinning down the answer to world peace.

Starting today, the memories of a generation will be served along with a host of frozen goodies when Abby Chavez fires up her 1988 Chevy Cube Van, clicks the switch that activates her rooftop speakers and steers the Sun Bear Ice Cream, Etc., truck through the streets of Sandpoint.

Going into her second full season as a rolling ice cream vendor, Chavez now has the attention of local youngsters whose Pavlovian instinct sends them dashing for cash when bells play the melody to “The Teddy Bears' Picnic” off in the distance.

The reception was entirely different - diffident, even - when Sun Bear took its maiden voyage.

“Some of the kids just stood on the sidewalk in wonderment as I drove by the first time,” Chavez said. “They were completely confused.”

Once their parents - or, more likely, grandparents - shared memories of the ice cream truck, the young customers understood what wonders were being carted around inside the white van with the painted bear and colorful flowers and business took off.

“I think the adults love the nostalgia of having this come back into their lives,” Chavez said. “That was my reason for doing it - the happiness of having the ice cream truck drive through the neighborhood again.”

The Sun Bear van's boxy shape is reminiscent of the classic Good Humor trucks of old, but its artwork - designed by local artist Perky Hagadone - is catchier and more contemporary. The logo is so good, it turns out, that it can attract customers even when the truck is parked in the owner's driveway.

“Kids actually come by and knock on my door at 8 in the morning to ask if I'm selling ice cream,” Chavez said, adding that her standard routes run Wednesday through Sunday afternoons.

The inside of the van, remodeled with the help of her son-in-law, Jim Magnabosco, houses a couple of freezers filled with many of the same treats that were popular in the heyday of the ice cream truck. Times and tastes have changed, though, and today's bestsellers are things like Strawberry Shortcake bars, Oreo bars and giant cookie sandwiches.

Prices have also changed over time, so kids have to come up with considerably more than a dime to make a transaction. Chavez said some parents have nicknamed her vehicle the “manners mobile,” because she always reminds their children to thank mom or dad for the ice cream money.

Sometimes a kid will run up with a fistful of change that falls short of the selling price - about $1.50 for most treats on the truck.

“I'll look down and say, ‘Well, you don't have much - but I'll bet I have something you can buy,'” Chavez said.

Outside of her driving route - which this season will include Priest River - Chavez also gets asked to park the truck at birthday parties and other special events. Last year, the Sandpoint High School girl's track coaches had the Sun Bear truck swing by the field after practice so they could buy ice cream for the team.

When the snow melts and the ice cream-selling months roll around, Chavez looks forward to stocking her freezers and taking her show on the road.

“As you get older, you can either become afraid of life or meet it head-on by doing something you've never done before,” she said. “I decided to do this - and it's absolutely one of the most rewarding things I've ever done in my life. It nurtures the mother part of me. I only wish I had thought of it 20 or 30 years ago.”

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