SUMMER '09 SCOOP

Summer is officially here, as we have just rung in the Liberty bell with the 4th of July…and that’s no crack! This past weekend witnessed record crowds visit Market Street for the parade as it marched from Independence Hall to Front Street, right past the Franklin Fountain. We had a bird’s eye view for sure. We mingled with old friends (very old, in fact some dated to the Revolutionary and Civil Wars!), exchanged greetings with Mayor Nutter and his wife, who had just been customers earlier in the week and did the Mummers strut with the Ferko String Band.
There were veterans of war, glass blowers from Poland, Asian marching bands and even an 1840 fire pumper wheeled in from the Darby Fire Department. As the sounds of the parade faded, the lineup continued right out the door…all weekend long. Thanks very much to all who visited us on this festive, familial holiday.

So, let’s turn back the clock a few months and see what has happened…

In June, we entered our pastry chef Davina in a dessert competition at the Dock Street Brewery in West Philadelphia. The challenge was to utilize their house-made beer in a dessert (this was sounding too good to be true), so Davina relished the opportunity. A growler or two later she rolled out her “Beeramisu” with a mixed berry compote using their Summer Session and Espresso Porter. Competing against a dozen contemporaries, SHE WON! (or at least shared a 1st prize) Way to go, Davi.

We celebrated Flag Day in true form at the Betsy Ross House, who hosted their annual Flag Fest (Flag Day is June 14th for those who didn’t grow up in a family who decorated their Victorian porch with scores of antique flags, courtesy of Dad the collector). Mr. Jeffrey Heinbach manned the ice cream cart, posed as Charlie Chaplin, complete with worn-out shoes, walking stick and duck-like gait. In other news, Jeff previously had won an online competition for Philly’s Hottest Nerd, beating out national celebrity QuestLove of the Roots. Check Jeff out: http://www.shmittenkitten.com/2009/04/people-have-spoken.html

And speaking of celebrities, in the past week we have sighted a few others at the Fountain including Neil Patrick Harris and Amy Sedaris, who are in town shooting a film. We were hoping that Neil would don Dr. Doogie’s labcoat and get behind the fountain to mix phosphates, but he was out of character for the evening. And speaking of soda jerks, one of ours was recently featured in BON APPETIT magazine, a young lady by the name of Kiersten Wildermuth. She was shown sipping a soda at the Fountain but usually she can be found on the other side of the counter slinging cream with the best of ‘em. Isn’t she the perfect picture of a lady?

July is the month of blueberries and the Blueberry Ice Cream is truer than ever! FRESH – HEALTHFUL – BURSTING WITH FLAVOR. Get some before we go blue in the face telling you about it. And you might try it in our Fourth of July special sundae: “When in the Course of Human Events…” which features RED raspberries, WHITE marshmallow and BLUE-berry ice cream atop with strawberry stripes and whipped cream stars.

Finally, on the afternoon of Sunday July 12th, Adam Richman of the Travel Channel show "Man vs. Food" will film an episode at The Franklin Fountain (to air in September). Featured will be our famous Mt. Vesuvius sundae, among other homemade sweets. The film crew encourages lots of customer attendance and input, so visit the Fountain this Sunday for your chance at sundae stardom!

Stay tuned!