Ice cream, history bring Southold community together

Nine-year-old Tommy Cain, of Louisville, Colo., visits his grandparents in Southold every August for summer vacation.

And one of his favorite things to do is go to the ice cream social held each year at the Southold Historical Society’s Maple Lane Museum Complex.

And this year was no different.

“I love ice cream. I got everything on my vanilla ice cream -- chocolate syrup and sprinkles. It tastes really good,” Tommy said.

While enjoying her peach ice cream cone, his grandmother Martha Jones said she comes to the ice cream social for more than the ice cream.

“This place has a nice country feel and I like walking around on the historic grounds,” she said.

In its 25th year, the ice cream social is a great time for the community to come together and raise money to help with the upkeep of the town’s historical buildings, Southold Historical Society director Geoffrey Fleming said.

“We have people who came here as little kids and are now adults and bring their little kids,” Fleming, of Southold, said. “Everyone loves this ice cream social.”

The ice cream social gave the hundreds of people who came the opportunity to have fun with live music, pony rides, antique cars, potato sack races and face painting.

It also was the perfect chance for them to view historically significant buildings firsthand -- the Bay View Schoolhouse, a restored one-room schoolhouse that was built in 1822; the Buttery, which features butter molds, churns, pitchers, crocks and pails; the Thomas Moore House, which shows the living conditions before the Industrial Age; the Bay View Icehouse, built out of brink in 1875 and could keep ice frozen for up to one year.

“This is a great event because it is important for people to see the historical grounds,” said Walter Jackson, Southold Historical Society events coordinator. “There is a lot of history here. I especially love the Ann Currie-Bell House because it is all original. Ann gave us the house a year before she died.”

Historical Society volunteer Adriana Nollet, of Southold, was thrilled to participate in the event.

“This ice cream social is all about preserving history for the next generation in a fun way,” Nollet said.

Above: Tommy Cain, 9, of Louisville, Colo., enjoys his ice cream at the 25th annual ice cream social in Southold. (Aug. 4, 2012)