Beat the heat, eat cheap ice cream

Junior English major Katie Laubert treats Hannah, 9, and Carley Burroughs, 12, to a scoop at Katie’s Korner in Kent.

Credit: Beth Rankin

Construction cones aren’t the only type of cone you can find plenty of around Kent this summer.

Kent has a variety of ice cream shops that provide traffic-stopping cones, but theirs are much easier on the eyes — and tongue — than the ones sitting on the road.

If you’re craving a cone that won’t put a dent in your wallet, or your car, stop into one of these local shops:

Stoddard’s Frozen Custard and Yogurt

Not only does Stoddard’s have the cheapest prices among locally-owned competitors, they also offer Kent State students with a FlashCard a 20 percent discount.

With more than 100 frozen custard flavors and other sweet treats, such as “Good-Carb” ice cream, Stoddard’s has something that will fit most lifestyles.

Even picky eaters can appreciate their popular fruit-flavored ice cream, such as banana fudge, created with real fresh fruit, not artificial sweeteners.

Owner and operator Lisa Kaye said eating frozen custard is fun, and she wants her customers to be happy.

“We’ll make anything anyone wants,” Kaye said. “If a customer wants a specific or discontinued item that’s not on the menu, we’ll buy the ingredients and make it for them.”

Every Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. is “Cruise-In Tuesday.” Anyone is welcome to bring their show cars or bikes to the Stoddard’s parking lot to compete for trophies and plaques awarded to the best looking vehicles.

Katie’s Korner Homemade Ice Cream

Katie’s Korner has two features that college students can appreciate: huge portions and a drive-through window. This shop serves the largest scoops in town, and stepping outside of an air-conditioned car to have some isn’t necessary.

Because Katie’s serves its ice cream at a cooler temperature than most shops, the firmer product not only has an intense flavor but also gives customers a chance to finish the monster-sized scoops before they melt.

“Katie’s is my favorite because their hard ice cream is actually hard,” sophomore psychology major Rachael Calhoun said. “I like their sugar cones and waffle cones, too.”

Maybe that’s because Katie’s makes its own waffle cones fresh daily, right in the shop.

Their most popular flavor is dark chocolate peanut butter, a very rich chocolate ice cream with heaping swirls of peanut butter.

Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream and Yogurt

If Bill Cosby and Tom Cruise love it, it must be good. Both celebrities have visited the original Handel’s in Youngstown to sample its extra creamy ice cream.

The expanding ice cream chain has a long list of unique and traditional flavors that change with the season. Handel’s is the only local shop open year-round, so customers can enjoy a treat even when the wind chill is colder than the ice cream.

One of the most popular aspects of Handel’s is its menu variety.

“I love their smoothies,” Jennifer Baker, junior interior design major, said. “They taste really good, and they’re really low in fat.”

Other popular products include Handel’s pops, birthday cakes and holiday pies.

Handel’s has become so popular that they will ship ice cream anywhere in the country, and customers can order it from their Web site.

With these tasty options all within a few miles of campus, there’s no need to waste hundreds of dollars on air-conditioning. Eating a tasty scoop of ice cream can make the temperature more bearable for less than $2.

Contact general assignment reporter Laura Pappada at [email protected].