A brief discussion about ice cream

Planning your summer events yet? Remember "drive-in movies, poodle skirts, sock hops, Dick Clark's American Bandstand, hula hoops, classic cars, and roadside diners?"

You do? Really? Then you must be really old because they were before my time.

Seriously, if "a good old-fashioned festival, set to the tune of the fabulous 50s and 60s" sounds like your idea of fun, plan a trip to the annual Banana Split Festival in Wilmington, Ohio on June 13 & 14, 2008. Check it out at Banana Split Festival.

Do you think this looks like a good banana split? It's pretty, but that's not how I like my ice cream treat. I want 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream - one with strawberry topping (with real strawberries), one with fudgy chocolate topping, and one with pineapple topping (or caramel sauce). You have to top it off with lots of whipped cream, some chopped peanuts, and a cherry.

Back in the 80's, there was a local restaurant in Winter Haven, Florida, that sold banana splits for 99 cents. I'd take my neice, Heather, there sometimes to split one. In case you ever plan on sharing a banana split with Heather, let me warn you - you'd better be able to eat ice cream fast, because she can start at one end of the bowl and be at the other end before you get the spoon to your mouth for that first bite.