Raul Turrietta, left, poses in the courtyard with fellow Museum volunteer John Warner. Raul will again MC Ice Cream Social, but has a new surprise costume in store.The Silver City Museum is proud to host its 36th Annual Ice Cream Social on July 4th from 11am to 4pm. For decades the Ice Cream Social has been a highlight of the local Independence Day celebration. A full slate of live entertainment, seasonal treats, and old-fashioned pastimes will be featured, and this year will continue the successful innovations of 2018, such as the expanded footprint and the presence of outside vendors and organizations. Changes this year include the addition of food trucks, making more ice cream flavors available along with full meals so no one has to leave for lunch!
Perhaps the most important and exciting new thing about the Ice Cream Social 2019 is that the Silver City Museum is using this popular event to invite community input to shape its strategic plan. The Silver City Museum, recently under new leadership, is going through the critical process of developing a 5-year plan to bring the organization into the 21stcentury and realize goals that support its mission as a place of history and culture, as well as a driver of tourism.
In order to do this effectively, the Museum is hosting a series of conversations with as much of the public as possible. A large interactive poster will be set up in the center of the courtyard that guests will use to view a draft of the plan and cast their votes to guide the Museum’s direction. All Grant County residents are encouraged to visit the info booth and weigh in!
Admission and children’s activities are free as always. Tickets are available at the gates for refreshments, Cakewalk, and face painting. The program will be MCed by Raul Turrieta, the incomparable ring leader for this summer carnival. Live music will entertain guests on the shady lawn of our courtyard, including trio Ray & the Sunshines at 12pm, mariachi singer Angelica Padilla at 1pm, beloved fiddling duo Bayou Seco at 2pm, and beginning at 3pm the Concert Band of the Southwest will take us out for the grand finale!
As in previous years, July 4thvisitors will be offered ice cream, root beer floats, popcorn, and soda.This year, ice cream choices will include gourmet ice cream and popsicles from local ice cream maker The Mint Chip, with exciting flavors like Toasted Coconut, Nutella-Pretzel, Honey-Lavender, and of course Mint-Chip. The Mint Chip is generously donating ice cream, and all proceeds will benefit the Museum. The Duck Stop food truck will be offering delectable hearty meals and snacks as well.
Children will be amused with old-fashioned games and crafts, including Bubblemania, hoop rolling, sack races,clothespin drop, and more. Face-painting will also be available.
Folks of all ages look forward to our annual Cake Walk – for some, the central attraction of the Ice Cream Social. Each year the Museum bestows many donated cakes in this traditional, musical-chairs-like game of chance where the winner “takes the cake.”
As last year, in the tree-lined lot adjacent to the courtyard, guests can shop local merchants and visit with representatives from some of our great local causes and organizations.
The Museum and Museum Store will be fully accessible during the Ice Cream Social -- and free of charge as always. Visitors can take in our special exhibition, Ranching in Grant County,as well as our local history exhibits on mining, the Big Ditch, Mimbres pottery, and the Ailman family that built the house. Shoppers can purchase memorabilia, toys, books, shirts, hats, jewelry, and more.
The Ice Cream Social is a local tradition extending back many years and spanning generations.
The first Social was held to celebrate the Museum's 10th birthday on July 4, 1977, and consisted of a single table with three tubs of ice cream. It was repeated on a small scale every other year through 1983, when it became an annual offering. The added energy of the Silver City Museum Society, founded in 1985, has allowed the Ice Cream Social to become the Museum’s biggest annual event, often drawing more than 1,000 visitors.
This annual event would not be possible without generous support from the community. Sponsorship by Finn’s Gallery and Western Bank will allow the proceeds from ticket sales to benefit the Museum’s public programs. Other key supplies are donated or supplied at cost by Food Basket, Albertsons Market and Deming Coca-Cola Bottling Company, and The Mint Chip. Cakes are donated by local volunteers, businesses, and organizations, including notably Millie’s Bake House, and Diane’s Bakery. Every person serving, performing, and assisting with the Ice Cream Social is donating his or her time to make this a special holiday celebration for the community.
The Ice Cream Social is always in need of more volunteers and cake donors! To join the fun please contact Volunteer Coordinator Jo Lutz at (575) 596-0229or e-mail volunteercoordinator@silvercitymuseum.org.
The Silver City Museum creates opportunities for residents and visitors to explore, understand and celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of southwestern New Mexico by collecting, preserving, researching and interpreting the region’s unique history. For more information about the Museum’s programming, please visit the Museum’s website at www.silvercitymuseum.org .