Ice Cream Shop Shots for this weekend's ArtWalk.

Thought I'd share the short blurb to go with a show I just put together for the walls of the shop and this weekend's ArtWalk Easthampton. If you're out artwalking this weekend, I hope you'll swing by for a look.

Ice Cream Shop Memories.

Images by Jim Ingram

I’ve always held the firm belief that our best memories are not as much from big events, trips, or major milestones, but more often found in everyday moments of bliss. In this case, enjoying an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. These moments can come and go fast. I say best savor them while you’re in ‘em. This show is a snapshot of a few of those moments. I hope you enjoy.

And if you recognize someone, feel free to let me know, and the photo is yours when the show is over.

As you've probably noticed, my blogging time has taken a backseat to ice cream making lately. Been quite the summer for summertime weather, that's for sure. No complaints here. I suppose I could complain about working too much, but I can rest when the snow flies, as we ice cream type folks like to say. Hope you're enjoying yours and managing to stay cool. I look forward to returning to random ranting here on the ICD when things quiet down in here again..

And if you haven't yet, become a fan of Mt. Tom's over at Facebook to stay up to date on new flavors and other intriguing goings-on at your favorite scoop shop.

See you soon.

Get your R.O.C.K. CD's here.

I talked about these guys here recently when they had their CD Release Party at Flywheel a few weeks back. They're a local rock band for kids, but they have a fun sound that's cool even for 'grown-ups'.

Just wanted to make a mention here because we've got copies of their new CD for sale right here at the shop, by the front counter. Just ten bucks gets you 13 great songs. Of course, I'm still a little partial to the 'Jim, the ice cream man' song, but I must admit 'Cruisin' for a snoozin' has gotten stuck in my head a few times..

Here they are rockin' the kids' stage at the Green River Music Festival this past weekend..

Summer Theme Candy Shoot.

Since it's full-on high season for me right now (as you may have guessed by the scarcity of blog posts), as well as the fact that this hazy, hot, & humid weather has made for less than optimal photo lighting/sky conditions, I decided to satisfy my ever-present photography urges with a mini-photo shoot right here in my a.c.-cooled shop.

I figured it would also be a good way to show off some of the new candy we just brought in. You may notice a theme...

Gummy Starfish...

Regular favorite and perfect for your beach cooler, gummy killer sharks...

Chocolate seashells...

What would summer be without...Salt Water Taffy...

A little off-theme, but a new oldie to the shop (stay tuned, more flavors coming soon)...

Mike & Ike's, another recent addition...

Sour Toxic Waste candies, try one if you dare...

Jelly Bellies, ice cream shoppe mix...

And I just couldn't resist a shot of royal icing rose perfection. One of the fresh new trays made by retired cake decorating master, otherwise known as my Mom...

Hope you're enjoying this crazy hot summer. Stay cool, and see you soon.

jim

Mary & Peter's Cross-Country Adventure

Friends & Mt. Tom's regulars turned cross-country travelers, Mary and Peter (you may recognize Mary as Ms. Franke, Pepin schoolteacher), have embarked on a coast-to-coast adventure this summer. They left a little over a week ago. One of their last provisioning stops before hitting the road was the Mt. Tom's giftshop for a couple of swanky tees.

And in case you'd been wondering what the deal was with the big map of the U.S. tacked on the wall by the chocolate cabinet, it's actually a MaryPeter tracking chart. Before they left, they enthusiastically volunteered to take shots of themselves at various scenic or otherwise interesting spots along their journey. They've been sending me them ever since, courtesy of their Iphones...

Their latest, Grand Canyon...

Who knows where the next shot will come from.

By the way, if you ever feel inclined to shoot a shot of yourself, friend, or family member in some interesting travel locale and sporting their favorite Mt. Tom's tee, feel free to send along the image to jim@mttoms.com , and I'll be happy to display it proudly right here on the ICD blog. Who knows, I may even offer up a free cone...

My favorite to date, my friend Rick, from the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro...

Be a few months before my Mt. Tom's tee sees any place further than the Massachusetts border, so I'll just have to reminisce and live vicariously thru you all for now..

Stay cool and hope to see you soon.

Center Pepin Mural Rocks Mt. Tom's!

I was asked a long time ago if I 'minded' that Mt. Tom's be included in a new schoolyard mural being painted behind the Center Pepin school here in Easthampton. Of course, I thought it was a great idea. Little did I know we'd be featured so prominently in the finished product. I recently was tipped that the mural was done, and that I 'really should go check it out.'

Well, I finally got a chance to bike down with my camera, and my customer/friend was right, I definitely had to see it to believe it. Extremely cool.

Center Pepin rocks!



The center mural was done by Sabrina Herman, and the Center Pepin kiddos did the boxes all around it. It was organized and funded by the 'junior leadership club'. Will try to find out more info on that group and pass that along.

Here's a closer look...

Got a kick out of the 'Mt. Jim' part, a funny twist on my being called 'Tom' all the time...

Great job Center Pepp, and thanks for including your favorite local scoop shop. We here at Mt. Tom's are proud and sincerely humbled.

R.O.C.K. Cd Release Party

In case you haven't seen these guys yet, in a word, they're awesome. Rock music for kids, but cool enough for 'grown-ups' to enjoy too. Of course, I may be a little biased because one of their songs is called, 'Jim the ice cream man,' but these guys really are extremely talented musicians and they sound great. Kids love them. Their shows are fun, interactive, and wicked (sugar) high energy.

You can read all about them in this week's Valley Advocate cover story.

If you haven't gotten a chance to catch them yet (most of their gigs are sometime between breakfast and nap time), you definitely should head to their cd release party at Flywheel right here in Easthampton this weekend. 11 a.m. Sunday.

Did I mention there will be free Mt. Tom's homemade ice cream?

Just make sure the kiddos are wearing their dancing shoes...

Sights of Easthampton.

Had to lead with this one..

Took a little hike up to the top of Mt. Tom recently..

Just after I took the shot, a kite flyer (is that what they call them?) came floating into the frame..

Pretty cool. Can't say I'd ever do it, but it does look like fun..

A collection of shots from the 225th anniversary parade Saturday morning. Great fun had by all..

The Hot Buttered Elves float was definitely a crowd favorite..

This band definitely came to play. An extremely rare summer performance..

Union Street never looked so festive..

The Lloyd Cole Trio playing at the all-day concert event on Saturday. The Friday night concerts are nice, but it was awesome to hear some great local indie rock at the new bandshell by the Lower Mill Pond..

Among the many fun and family-friendly activities on Sunday was a 'vintage baseball' game. Here they are explaining the rules..

It was a great weekend of fun to commemorate Easthampton's 225th. Perfect weather, big crowds, few incidents. Congrats and thanks to the planning team, sponsors, and volunteers that made it all happen. BearFest last year, 225th this year, what can we do next year?...

Easthampton's 225 years young.

As I'm sure you've heard by now, the big Easthampton 225th celebration kicks off in just a few short days. You can get all the schedule specifics HERE.

The official kickoff to the party weekend is Thurs, June 17, 2010 6:00 - 8:00 PM at the Phillips Stevens Chapel, Williston-Northampton School. Mayor Mike will deliver the welcome message and (symbolically) fire the starting gun for the weekend of fun, Easthampton 2010 style.

You can check out the schedule yourself (or pick one up here at Mt. Tom's), but let me give you the highlights here of events not to be missed...

Friday 6-8pm Family Ice Cream Social at the Easthampton Congregational Church

Saturday 10:30am The Big Parade (starts at the high school and ends at Eastworks)

Saturday 1 - 9 pm Concert at the hatch shell behind Eastworks (Millside Park). Lots of great music to be had.

Sunday 9 - 4 pm Family Day at Nonotuck Park. (Hope you'll find the Mt. Tom's booth for your free sample of a popular flavor you might remember...)

You can catch up on all the planning and hometown banter on the Easthampton 225 committee's Facebook page HERE

There's also a cool little slideshow/video created by Ken Peters on the 225 site. This one should get you in a nostalgic mood, even if you haven't lived in Easthampton for generations. Check out the video HERE.

Should be a fun week. Sounds like the hot summery weather returns just in time for it. Good thing there's ice cream to be had at every event...

A giant thanks to the 'executive committee', along with all the other volunteers and sponsors who've been working tirelessly for months to make it all happen. I hope you've got a giant cast party planned for sunday night.

Enjoy the festivities, and I hope to be a little better at blogging when things smooth out after this last round of events winds down. Of course, summer is just beginning, so I make no promises...

Happy 225th Easthampton. You're lookin' good.

Moon Pie Ice Cream.

According to Wikipedia, A MoonPie is 'a pastry which consists of two round graham cracker cookies, with marshmallow filling in the center, dipped in chocolate (or other flavors).'

Why would I make a MoonPie flavored ice cream, you ask?

Because my cousin Wendy asked. Not only did she ask, back when I saw her in January during our little folks 5oth anniversary party week in Florida, she went so far as to ship me a box from her home in Charlston, South Carolina.

Here we are, posing in the San Francisco backlot set in Disney's Hollywood Studios...

Unfortunately, she and her family are a little far away to pop in tomorrow for a try of her fantasy flavor. The least I could do was thank her publicly and invite y'all down for a try...

In case you're wondering, it's a chocolate base with pieces of MoonPie and a marshmallow swirl.

I thought this might be the one and only batch I would make (since I wasn't familiar with MoonPies and just assumed it was a 'southern thing'), but wouldn't you know, I was in line at Rite Aid, of all places the other day when staring over my left shoulder was... Yep. A whole stack of MoonPies.

So I guess if it's a hit, I can make more without having to work an import deal with my cousin Wendy.

Thanks Wen, for the idea and the box of pies. I'd ship you some if I could...

Publicity Stunt.

Since there aren't Bearfest bears all around town this summer, it seems these two were missing the limelight and decided to take matters into their own hands, er paws...

You may have heard rumors that this was a publicity stunt we put together to build up enthusiasm for the return of our Bear Tracks flavor for the upcoming Easthampton 225th party weekend, but no, to the best of our knowledge these bears acted alone.

Happy Memorial Day to you & yours.

A few images from this morning's Memorial Day parade here in Easthampton.

Enjoyed the little flyover too. Not sure if that was scheduled but a nice touch nonetheless...

Just another one of those things that makes this town, and small towns in general, so cool.

Hope you and yours are enjoying this stellar holiday weekend weather.

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. ~Joseph Campbell

And thanks to all who have put themselves in harm's way on our behalf. Pretty darn big in my view. Hope you're relaxing with a cold one and a good steak from the grill right now. And if not now, hopefully soon.