BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) – The sound is unmistakable. It’s faint at first and then louder and louder as it gets closer to your neighborhood.
You begin scrambling to find a couple of dollars or run to ask mom for the money to buy a snow cone, Popsicle or Nutty Buddy.
The ice cream truck has become as much a part of summer as fireflies, watermelon and flip flops and the tradition is alive and well in the Mountain Empire.
Jolly Wally Ice Cream, owned by Danny and Charlene Harman of Bristol, Tennessee, serves Bristol and Kingsport with more than a dozen varieties of ice cream, including the Choco Taco, Nutty Royale, and Strawberry Shortcake. The prices have gone up over the years, but these days the treats are priced between $1 and $3.
Every item that Danny Harman sells is prepackaged and kept frozen in a trunk freezer inside the truck. Each item is handwritten on the top of the freezer for convenience.