Here’s the scoop: Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream will celebrate its 80th anniversary Sunday with family-friendly activities, proclamations and free cones for its first 100 customers. The anniversary celebration begins 3 p.m. at 3931 Handel’s Court in Youngstown.
Activities include face painting, photos with YSU mascots Pete and Penny, cornhole, “pin the cherry” and a spin-to-win prize wheel with 80th anniversary swag.
Ohio Lt. Governor Jim Tressel and Youngstown Councilwoman Anita Davis are expected to attend and Handel’s owner Leonard Fisher will receive a ceremonial key to the city.
Organizers call the event “a heartfelt thank you to Handel’s hometown fans, who’ve helped grow the brand from a single stand to a well-known nationwide brand.”
Handel’s Ice Cream began in 1945 when founder Alice Handel started selling ice cream at her husband’s gas station on Youngstown’s South Side. In 1952, the popular ice cream stand moved across Market Street to Velma Court. In 1986, the city of Youngstown honored Alice Handel by renaming the alley Handel’s Court.
Leonard Fisher of Youngstown purchased the ice-cream company in 1985 and spent the next two years learning from Alice Handel before expanding from a single store to 155 locations nationwide. Fisher, who is also chairman of the board, said he expects the chain to increase to 170 by year’s end.
Early Mahoning Valley locations became the template for the ice cream stands that followed – crisp, freestanding blue-and-white buildings surrounded by parking, benches and picnic tables.
Since expanding to other parts of the country, Fisher has seen local tastes reflected in flavor preferences. He said Philadelphians prefer anything with peanut butter, while Graham Central Station and Banana Cream Pie are favorites in California. In the Youngstown-Warren area, chocolate pecan continues to dominate, along with cherry vanilla.
Despite changing dietary habits and food fads, Fisher said customers prefer “all the fun, all the fat, all the time.” “A diet product is not us,” he added.
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