An Impromptu Ice Cream Shop Stop & A Hometown Block Party

Pell City’s Twenty Sixth Hometown Block Party took place a couple months back and this was my first time to be in attendance. For those who do not know, Kyle isn’t just an appliance technician but also a very talented musician. It is the musical side of him that brought us to Pell City’s historic district on this particular day. The event was set to begin at three in the afternoon and ironically enough, so was the rain and it came right on time!

We arrived about thirty minutes before three. As Kyle was setting up, I continued to sit in the vehicle with the kids as long as I could. They eventually got antsy of course so it was then that I chose to get out and load them up into the stroller. We had a good fifteen minutes of strolling around, sitting, and people watching before the clouds turned extra dark. I took the kids under the awning at Small Town Blanks and faced them diagonally toward the front door of the building with their backs mostly to the rain as it began to fall. Unfortunately it was at that time a gust of wind rushed down the street, plowing down everything in its path. Those with tents began to hold them down well as I repositioned myself to be right in front of the kids. In an effort to shield them from the raindrops I had put them face to face with this wind gust just before it had accumulated. I was so thankful that no one let anything really big fly down the street. The worst that came was some dirt and trash.

I kept staring at the ice cream shop across the street, trying to figure out if my stroller would be able to fit through the door. It’s a big double jogger, great for an empty day at the zoo. It’s great at a park, or at a pumpkin patch. It is not so great when you are trying to bring it into historic shops. Once the little ones began to ask about it and the rain began to wane, I made a snap decision. I abandoned the stroller and fled to JNR’s Sweet Treats! Was hand in hand with one child, carrying the other on my hip, and another in my belly.

Once inside we began to peruse the ice cream freezer. The scoops pictured below started in cones, but with children they never stay there. One child requested the Strawberry ice cream, the other got the Turtle Sundae, and I ordered a Midnight Caramel River Milkshake. I do not eat Strawberry ice cream therefore I can not say how it was, good or bad. I can tell you that the child who requested it is not the same one who devoured it, but it was devoured nonetheless. I did try the Turtle Sundae and it was pretty good. Although I enjoyed it, I would probably try something different next time. On the other hand, I would find it difficult to keep myself from ordering the Midnight Caramel River Milkshake again in favor of something else. I was extremely pleased with it! Overall, the experience was positive. I did spend roughly twenty-eight extra dollars I had not planned to spend that day, but hey, we were dry and the kids were happy campers! I have no complaints with the establishment. The employees were pleasant and both the booths and bathrooms were clean. It was a comfortable refuge in the storm that carried on for about an hour.

Kyle came to find us and check on us as the rain began to stop. We cleaned messy faces and took potty breaks before exiting the ice cream shop as the sun came out. We opened the door to an entirely different universe. One that was bright and hot with music filling the streets! Kyle ran to retrieve our abandoned stroller, while I sat with the kids on a corner bench. Their curiosity was peaked in this new environment and you could see the wheels turning in their minds. Though they sat still, just taking things in for the moment, you could tell their feet would soon be hitting the pavement! This would be our children’s first chance to see their dad playing in public rather than just around the house. When he did finally take the stage, they were very excited to see him in this element but they also had so many other things to do. After they sat through the first song, I was following their little feet all over the place. Every ledge had to be jumped on and be jumped off of. We had to see the firetruck up close and how could we leave every bit of pine straw in its proper place? Of course I put that back and put that game to an end real quick! It was easy enough for a bit. At roughly thirty weeks pregnant though, with the sun bearing down and a baby snuggled deep into my hips, it did get to be a lot. Luckily, the set was not the longest and I was able to convince my littles to sit one more time for the final song. When it was over they leaped up, clapping happily for their dad. “He did it!” one exclaimed. It was sweet to see how proud they were even if they had paid little attention for most of the show.

The chasing continued as we waited for everything to get packed up. The plan had originally been to find food before the set, but the rain had sabotaged that plan. While the milkshake had been good, it also was not sitting very well on its own. As soon as Kyle was finished, he took the stroller that I no longer had the energy to push and the hunt for something more sustaining was on. We walked up the street, enjoying the music, reading the side of food trucks, and inhaling the scent of funnel cake. Nothing sounded good to my pregnant brain. We made our way up the courthouse parking lot and then back down again, as I decided I was too tired to keep this search up. At this time, a lovely lady from New Hope Baptist Church met my eyes. She held out a water bottle. My eyes widened as I made a sharp right turn, nodding my head and proclaiming “Yesss!” to the smiling lady holding it. She continued to smile as I thanked her, accepting one for Kyle as well. I am so thankful for that water bottle and whoever was in that tent that day! It revived me enough to get back down the street before picking up some Chic-fil-a on the way home.

The Hometown Block Party seemed to be a well organized event, set up to provide some relaxing fun! Maybe I will get the chance to really check it out next year without being pregnant or chasing two other children. Who knows what the future holds?