The sound of bells ringing through the streets is something that takes many back to their childhood, when you could hear that sound and quickly grab some money and run out the door because you knew the ice cream cart was coming down your street.
Residents in Martensville and Warman have been treated to the same experience this summer with ‘I Scream for Ice Cream’ bringing back the ice cream cart to the community streets.
Owners Brad and April Enns, who live in Warman, began this venture after their 11-year-old son approached them in the spring looking for advice on summer jobs that could help earn him some extra money as he headed into middle school this fall.
“We thought about it for awhile and it is hard for kids in that age category to find jobs that pay decently. The opportunity came up to purchase one bike, and it ended up being quite busy and more than he could handle by himself, so we hired a couple more kids out of Warman. From there, we began to get requests out of Martensville, so we bought another bike and have kids working there now too,” Brad explained.
The carts, which are originally from the 70’s were fixed up with body work, mechanical repairs and re-painted to look like new. Brad, who credits his wife April with much of the work, noted that because they invested so much time and money into these carts, this will be a business that they continue with in the future.
“Our son will keep working with this until he is old enough to get a job somewhere in town, and then we have a now 7-year-old daughter that can do it once she is older, and hopefully our 6-month old son will also be doing this job when he gets older,” Brad added.
There are plans to possibly obtain a third cart, which Brad explained would be used as a “touring cart” that would potentially travel to other communities such as Osler or Dalmeny. There are no plans to move into Saskatoon, as Brad feels that parents would be more comfortable with the kids working in the smaller communities.
There is approximately eight options available in the carts, which range from $1 to $5 and consist of items such as; freezies, Rockets, Cyclones, Bomb pops, fudge bars, drumsticks, ice cream bars and more.
With 8 local youth currently working, Enns noted that the kids have been really excited with the money they have been able to make through this job.
“They are making a good chunk of change for their work and it is exciting for them because there aren’t a lot of opportunities for that age group. It is also great to see them learning life lessons through this and we have seen our own son grow up a lot this summer and go from playing video games to wanting to work and save money instead.”
Both Brad and April have been pleased with how much success this new venture has had throughout the summer and grateful for the support from the two communities. “Thank you to everyone for supporting us. The kids are so excited about this opportunity and to see how amazing the communities have been is incredible,” Brad added.
There is a live tracking option and route path for the carts that can be accessed through the ‘I Scream for Ice Cream’ Facebook page. The ice cream carts are out regularly Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and can sometimes be seen in the communities throughout the week, but there are no specific weekday hours set in place.
