A Cold Treat Comes With A Warm Smile

Kate and Bob Shaw hand out ice cream at Mahaska Health Partnership on Monday.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Ice cream sandwich or dream bar?

The music could be heard a block a way as the old 1967 Ford pickup truck with an ice cream storage unit on the back made its way into the parking lot of Mahaska Health Partnership.

The two people that jumped out of that Ford had the warmest smiles. The couple, Bob and Kate Shaw of Spirit Lake, Iowa, is riding around Iowa celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary by handing out ice cream treats.

The couple found their way to Oskaloosa on Monday, September 11th, 2017, where they made several stops around the community. Besides the stop at Mahaska Health Partnership, the couple stopped by Mahaska Communication Group and Pizza Ranch.

“Would you like an ice cream sandwich or a dream bar,” asks Bob of a person walking towards the ice cream truck. Blue Bunny is a sponsor of the couple’s trek, as well as Pizza Ranch. Shaw’s of Okoboji is also sponsoring the ice cream fest, a business the couple has built up during their years together.

“The good Lord takes care of all of us,” said Bob asking the next person in line if they wanted an ice cream sandwich or a dream bar.

“You know what a balanced diet is right? An ice cream cone in each hand,” says Kate to a group deciding what ice cream they wanted.

When asked about celebrating 50 years of marriage, Bob says, “The next 50 years are going to be tough.”

The couple met one day when Bob was selling candy for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Kate worked at a bank in Le Mars. “And she claims that I never gave her the candy and she gave me the money,” says Bob.

“We’ve been arguing ever since,” laughed Kate.

Kate wanted to make the trip, and Bob said no. “Look where no will get ya.”

An ice cream sandwich or a dream bar, Bob asks of the next person.

Their 1967 Ford ice cream truck is 50 years old, and they purchased it in 1985. The couple has served ice cream for 32 to years in the lakes region of northern Iowa. “She raised our family and a lot of other families on the truck,” said Bob. “I retired in 2010, and I became the ice cream man.”

From Oskaloosa, the couple was traveling to Kalona and then to LeClaire, where they were going to set up at the American Pickers location.

One of their fun stories, from their trip so far, comes from Cherokee, Iowa. When they stopped at Central Bank, an employee, who was excited like most are at the prospect of free ice cream, called the police station.

“She told the police, ‘I need every officer at the bank right away.’ They [police] came rushing over. We’ve got pictures of all the police coming in and we served them ice cream.”

The couple’s day in Oskaloosa ended at Pizza Ranch, where they handed out the frozen treats to everyone who walked up.

Ice cream sandwich or dream bar?