Don Canney

As the days grow hotter and we look for relief from the sweltering heat, one of the favorite treats sought by many is none other than that sweet, creamy, dairy treat – ice cream.

We all remember growing up longing for our preferred flavor, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, pistachio or the New England fave, maple walnut, to name a few. Whether you frequented your local ice cream stand, grocery store or travelling ice cream truck vendor, ice cream on a sweltering summer day brings back memories for sure.

There were many local favorites for young and old alike to visit or hang out during the summers in Nashua. What was your “go to” place?

Hayward’s Ice Cream is still a favorite today. But in the 50’s and 60’s, they faced some stiff competition from Butch’s Ice Cream on Concord Street (who, in a 1958 edition of the Nashua Telegraph touted a half gallon of your choice for $1.00) and Jeanotte’s Market and Ice Cream on Manchester Street. I believe Butch’s was one of the first to sell soft serve. And that orange roof establishment, Howard Johnson’s, promoter of 28 flavors, was on the Daniel Webster Highway in South Nashua.

I can remember our family taking a Sunday drive all the way to Dracut, MA, to a place called Canney’s Ice Cream (no relation to me that I know of). They were an ice cream drive in and restaurant. It was both a reason to get out of our oppressively warm apartment for a while and a necessity, as they sold my mom’s favorite flavor, maple walnut. And they had some of the best butterscotch and hot fudge sundaes.

As kids, we’d often order banana splits, eventually proving our eyes were much bigger than our stomachs. Some places also referred to them as banana boats, serving them in plastic boat-shaped dishes. And we’d often frequent those establishments providing the biggest servings. Three to four scoops of ice cream, nuts, whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry on top. No, cholesterol was not an issue back then.

Remember chasing an ice cream truck to make sure you got your ten-cent treat? We would inevitably hear that chime or bell ringing while we were playing ball, watching TV or up in our bedrooms listening to the latest Beach Boys album, having to race down the stairs, out the door and sometimes down the street to not miss out.

The sound of that bell prompted a Pavlov’s dog reaction. Something about it caused simultaneous excitement and panic. Yup, even the neighborhood dogs perked up and headed to the door!

Durocher’s Ice Cream (now Hershey’s) had a manufacturing plant located on Arlington Street, but they sold their brand on many trucks in the city back then. I can remember touring that plant with my second-grade class and getting a free ice cream at the end of the tour. Most trucks had their menus attached outside near the window with offerings that had some of the most amusing names.

Remember rockets? (We also called them push-ups). It was ice cream in a cylindrical cardboard tube with a stick used to push the ice cream upward as you consumed it (or, as it melted, whatever the weather dictated). Then of course, there were ice cream sandwiches, some of the vanilla and chocolate variety, some of the van/choc/straw waffle variety, there were nutty buddies and Hoodsie cups, typically called such, no matter what brand they were. And don’t forget that little wooden spoon, which has now reverted to thin breakable plastic. If you got an ice cream from the bottom of the freezer, you’d have to wait a while for that brick to melt.

Milk Shakes and Frappes were and still are a delicious summer treat. A frappe is strictly a New England thing. If you ordered a frappe in any other part of the country, you’d be looked at like you had two heads. A frappe is typically much thicker with more ice cream, some requiring Hoover like suction power, with many places now smartly providing bigger straws.

Wait! I think I hear a bell off in the distance! Maybe?

Don Canney is a freelance writer and professional voice artist. He was born and raised in downtown Nashua with great interest in Nashua history circa 1950-1970. He now resides in Litchfield.