Scenes from the Neighborhood

Ice Cream Social draws over 100 to East Scott lawn

		Above, young Ian Scott hand picks the ice cream he wants from his mother Rachelle's spoon. Below, Old North Knoxville neighbors and invited guests mingle and eat ice cream Photograph below courtesy of Lauren Rider.

Take about 22 gallons of ice cream, one 
fire engine, eight musicians, a Tai Chi demon-stration, a fifteen-foot tall fiberglass cow, add toppings, balloons, water, chairs, tables, and information on traffic calming, then mix with a generous portion of politicians and over 100 Old North residents and what do you get? Old North Knoxville’s 9th Annual Ice Cream Social. 

On a warm, but not unpleasant Thursday evening, as the sun was beginning to set behind the trees and hills to the west, Old North Knoxville held its annual ice cream social in the yard at 124 E. Scott Ave. Though the ice cream was slightly late in arriving, eight musicians began playing at 6:30 p.m. entertaining the crowd with traditional Celtic tunes.

Among the types of ice cream available were French Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, Chocolate, Peach, Cherry, and something called Graham Slam, an ice cream with graham cracker mixed in. Toppings included toasted coconut, brownies, blueberries, and peanuts just to name a few of the items. 

Appearing for the first time at the Social was Maggie, the Mayfield signature cow. Twenty-four feet long and weighing in about 5,500 pounds, she attracted the attention of many of the children and few adults, even one who photographed her dogs standing by the cow, certainly an attention getting device.
Among the invited guests at the Social were Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam, Knox County Commissioners Billy Tindell and David Collins, and State Senator Tim Burchett. Also present were Knoxville City Council members Rob Frost, Barbara Pelot, Steve Hall, Joe Hultquist, Chris Woodhall, Joe Bailey, and Bob Becker, as well as city council seat challengers Kim Litton and Ken Knight.

To help keep things cool, in addition to ice cream, there was soda pop and ice, and bottled water that was kept cool in round steel tubs filled with ice. To help keep things entertaining, in addition to the musicians, there was a Tai Chi demonstration by about twenty members of the Knoxville Tai Chi Society. And for the young and young at heart, there was the fire engine and large cow. There were also few games for children and children were allowed to take balloons home.

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