Talk of the Town: I scream! You scream! We all scream for ice cream!

My mother just adored ice cream. She liked Breyer’s Butter Pecan with a passion. I prefer frozen yogurt myself, but the rest of the United States sides with her. In fact, according to makeicecream.com, each American consumes a yearly average of 23 quarts of ice cream, ice milk, sherbet, ices and other commercially produced frozen dairy products.

The Northern Central states have the highest per capita consumption of ice cream — approximately 47 quarts. The top three cities in America that purchase the most ice cream on a per capita basis are: Portland, Ore.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Seattle, Wash.

The 10 most popular ice cream flavors starting from America’s No. 1 flavor are: vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan, strawberry, Neapolitan, chocolate chip, French vanilla, cookies and cream, vanilla fudge ripple and praline pecan.

From the ice cream trivia file: Did you know that it takes the average person just about 50 licks to polish off a single-scoop ice cream cone?

(They didn’t include my dad’s dog Hooch in that study. He can gobble it up in one gulp. And we’ve seen that dog experience a “brain freeze” after mischievously devouring a bowl left unattended.)

And by the way, that “ice cream headache” you always wondered about is triggered by the sudden change in temperature as the ice cream touches the top of your mouth and initiates a nerve reaction that swells blood vessels in your head. The nerve center on the roof of your mouth overreacts to the cold temperature and tries to “heat” your brain. This swelling of the blood vessels is what is more commonly known as a “brain freeze.” Luckily the intense stabbing pain in your head usually lasts only for about 30-60 seconds. (Just ask Hooch. Given the opportunity, he’d eat a quart again even with the brain freeze still in play.)

Ice cream trivia:

More ice cream is sold on Sunday than on any other day of the week.

Ice cream consumption is highest during July and August. July is National Ice Cream Month.

Children ages 2 through 12, and adults age 45 plus, eat the most ice cream per person.

98 percent of all households purchase ice cream.

Toppings:

The favorite topping is still chocolate syrup.

The biggest ice cream sundae ever made was 12 feet high and made with 4,667 gallons of ice cream and 7,000 pounds of toppings in Anaheim, Calif., during 1985.

Sales:

Super premium and premium ice cream represent about 41.4 percent of the total dollar sales of ice cream.

Ice cream is an $11 billion retail industry.

Vanilla:

80 percent of the world’s vanilla bean used for ice cream is grown in Madagascar.

Novelties:

Ice cream novelties such as ice cream on sticks and ice cream bars were introduced in the 1920s.

Adults consume nearly one-half of all ice cream novelties.

Helpful hint: The best way to avoid getting an “ice cream headache” is keep the ice cream on the side of your mouth, away from the roof of your mouth.

Now, grab a spoon, head to the freezer, get out your favorite pint and eat to your heart’s content.

The Green Valley Hiking Club’s hike master George Chute awarded a 5,000 mile patch to Green Valley resident Helen Zaukas on one of the group’s hikes recently. Zaukas started hiking in 1985. She served on the Hiking Club’s board from 1991-97 as secretary, vice president and president. Zaukas founded the group’s present-day orientation process for new hikers and established the club’s directory, maintaining it for 17 years. She has been a hike leader for many years and is the fourth member to reach the 5,000 mile milestone, following in the footsteps of Lillian Monson, Andy Juhasz and Margaret Bieber.

Mayme Specht led the hike that day and was awarded her 1,500 mile patch.

While we are on the subject of ice cream: Well done to the members of the Strolling Valley Players who just finished a run of the play “Beatrice’s Boarding House” at the Ice Cream Social sponsored by Green Valley Recreation. Although I missed the opportunity to see the production, plenty of folks told me how fun it was and well worth the extra ice cream calories to enjoy the show.

Kudos to the stars of the show: Dick Cowlishaw, Ruth Thompson, Jim McCarr (playing duel roles as a lady and a judge all in fun), Dic Ford, and Marjorie Walker as Beatrice were the fabulous cast while Dick Coler narrated the production.

Strolling Valley Players is headed by Dick Coler. The theatrical group is part of Valley Players and participants must be GVR members. Strolling Valley Players will perform for small or large audiences including homeowners’ associations, private clubs, birthday parties, adult day care facilities and other organizations wishing fun, yet professional quality entertainment. Call Dick Coler at 625-8230 for more information.

rford@gvnews.com