Taste Of Summer Festival Kicks Off In Broken Arrow

Broken Arrow is welcoming in summer with everyone's favorite treat...ice cream! News On 6's Alyssa Miller was live on the Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Porch to do a taste test of the different flavors.

Saturday, June 22nd is the annual Taste of Summer festival.

The Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce organizes the event and Blue Bell Creameries and American Waste Control sponsor it.

"There is a little bit of something for everybody," said the chamber's Vice President of Events & Communications, Tiffany Shepard. "It is very family-oriented, so your families can come out, and bring the kiddos, there are hours of entertainment for them out here."

Activities include a "Get Active Zone" for all ages, kid's crafts, a marketplace with local vendors, food vendors, water inflatables, a "Water Wars" zone with water balloon fights, Touch-a-Truck with the Broken Arrow Police Department, and Broken Arrow Fire Department, and unlimited Blue Bell ice cream.

Michael Blount is the Tulsa Sales & Operations Manager for Blue Bell Creameries. He said the festival started at their plant 22 years ago.

"We did lots of ice cream dipping, we eventually had live music, we had bounce houses, we did plant tours during the day," he continued saying, "It got so big, I believe the last year we had it here was close to 19,000 people."

This year about 5,000 people are expected to attend Taste of Summer. Blue Bell is bringing more than 20 flavors and some novelty items as well.

"There will be your standard vanilla, chocolate, strawberry but there will be other flavors like cotton candy, we have one called Southern Blackberry Cobbler," said Blount. "There will be some flavors that you do not find in the grocery store simply because they are for ice cream parlors only."

The chamber said the tradition is well-loved and highlights the importance of having a company like Blue Bell in Broken Arrow.

"This event really started years ago to highlight them as one of the major manufacturers here in the city," Shepard continued saying, "All of the jobs that they create, and everything that they bring back to the community."

Blount said for them, selling ice cream is the best job in the world because of the smiles it brings to people's faces.

"Hearing stories, you know people's favorite flavor, they remember when we made this flavor 30 years ago, it is just fun," he added.

Taste of Summer is Saturday, June 22nd from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $8 at the gate on the day of the event or for $7 HERE.