Ice cream sales heating up

SHERIDAN — With the winter doldrums nearing an end, more people will enjoy the climbing temperatures and extended sunlight by spending time outdoors. With those climate changes often comes the desire for a cold scoop of ice cream.

Most local fast food restaurants offer a few ice cream options, but their dairy delectables are merely part of a large menu. The ice cream stand in Kendrick Park is massively popular, but it’s only open for about three and a half months. So how do smaller businesses that offer ice cream year-round make it through the darker, colder months and maximize the sizzling summer heat?

Dairy Queen general manager Karissa Blum said the seemingly endless winter didn’t affect the bottom line much compared to years past, with about 3 percent less sales this year. She said ice cream sales pick up around the start of April and the past weekend resulted in a spike in business, with warm weather increasing local ice cream appetites.

May is Dairy Queen’s busiest month because it is usually the first month of the calendar year with consistently warm weather. There are also a lot of birthdays and graduation parties, so people purchase larger quantities of cakes, treats and ice cream. The Snickers Big Horn Soccer Cup in May brings plenty of business as well.

“People get spring fever and that’s when sales kind of just skyrocket,” Blum said.

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