By: Candace Beaty
It’s a simple building located in the small town of Upland, Ind. Ivanhoe’s is the home of the simple pleasure of ice cream. Two hundred different choices of ice cream to be exact.
“I’ve heard a customer say Ivanhoe’s is the eighth wonder of the world,” Todd Cowgill said, general manager at Ivanhoe’s.
It was started by Ivan and Carol Slain in 1965. The then small shop offered only the three basic ice cream flavors of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.
Ivanhoe’s used to close down during the winter and Ivan and Carol would travel while trying to think of new ways to serve their ice cream. Over the years, the menu grew and reached the famous numbers of 100 sundaes and 100 shakes.
Although the menu remains at 200, the sundaes and shakes flavors do change.
“There is always room for change and improvement,” Cowgill said.
The featured new creation this month is “the great shake.” The name being a play on words from Tony the tiger, the shake consists of frosted flakes, strawberries and bananas.
While the hot summer months continue, Ivanhoe’s remains busy as many people crave the cool treat of ice cream.
“Summer is our peak season,” Cowgill said. “During the winter time, it slacks down quite a bit.”
During the summer months, he said 500 plus people visit Ivanhoe’s. “It’s just a busy place, very busy,” he said.
Lines have been known to extend out the door and across the parking lot.
“People like to gather over here. I think that’s why they don’t mind waiting in line,” he said. Although Cowgill has met people at Ivanhoe’s who have made trips from as far away as Michigan just to come and experience the quaint ice cream shop, the locals are the ones that keep the Ivanhoe’s business busy.
“I see people who come in everyday and order the same thing everyday,” he said. “We have quite a few that come in twice or sometimes three times a day.”
Sara Korfmacher, a sophomore at Eastbrook High School and a native of Upland, visits Ivanhoe’s four or five times a week.
“I like coming down here because there’s always someone I know, one of my friends here,” she said.
Korfmacher likes to just hang out at Ivanhoe’s and order a milkshake.
“It’s a very friendly atmosphere,” Brian Robinson said, senior at Eastbrook High School.
Robinson is a fan of the red, white and blue sundae and the dirt cup sundae.
Cowgill believes that the reason so many people keep going back for more is the “freshness of everything and the quality.”
Nancy Lutz of Marion said she and her family like to go to Ivanhoe’s for special occasions. On Wednesday, Lutz went to Ivanhoe’s to treat family who was visiting from North Carolina.
“When they come in, we go to Ivanhoe’s,” she said. “We are all ice cream eaters in this family.”
Lutz enjoys the restaurant because of “the novelty of the variety of ice cream flavors.”
She also thinks the atmosphere is nice.
“We range from ages five to 71,” Lutz said, referring to her grandchildren and herself. “It’s for all ages.”