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Get your ice cream!

Young entrepreneurs: Siblings use pedal power to fuel their chilling summer business venture.
19967salmonarmSAIcecreamtrike
On the road: Katelind Pruden

Who remembers the song?

It’s the summertime anthem that could make you stop whatever you were doing and rush to fling open the front door, coin purse in hand, ready to get a creamsicle.

Now it’s back.

A pair of Salmon Arm kids, with some help from their parents, have brought the ice cream truck concept to Salmon Arm – although instead of a truck, it’s a trike.

Siblings Katelind Pruden, 10 and Keenan Gennrich, 14, were looking for a way to make a little cash over the summer and took some inspiration from their mother Jodie Pruden’s recent experience with the Launch-A-Preneur program.

The idea of a lemonade stand came up, but was quickly written off as too ordinary.

Then the idea of ice cream came up and quickly morphed into an ice-cream bike.

A cooler was purchased, but then the pair wrestled with how to mount it to a bike. Not too long after, the family was cruising some back roads and spotted something in a ditch. It was an old, full-size trike, “all rotten and busted up,” said Jodie.

Refurbishing the bike soon became a family affair, as new parts, including brakes, were needed. Keenan learned to sandblast, while Katelind took on painting duties.

“It took the better part of a month to get it ready,” says Jodie, “Because it was so old we had trouble getting parts, so my husband was able to repurpose some things to get them up and running.”

The pair downloaded a version of the ice cream song, and with the help of a wireless speaker are able to get the attention of neighbourhood customers, just like in the childhood of many of their customers.

Jodie says the ice cream is drawing purchases by kids, but it’s the adults who instantly recognize the music and get out their wallets.

“A lot of clients comment on how this takes them back to when they were a kid,” Jodie says. “It’s really nostalgic. The adults are thrilled to see them.”

Jodie says she’s pleased to see the entrepreneurial spirit in her youngsters. The pair intend to use their earning towards spending money on an upcoming trip to Mexico.

“There’s been tons of good feedback, a lot of older people are really glad to see the kids taking this initiative and working for their money.”

The pair don’t plan to operate in public parks, but will stick to neighbourhood sales. They have done circuits in Broadview Trailer Park, Hillcrest, the Evergreen Trailer Park and South Broadview. With their cooler and ice packs, they can go out for about two hours before the ice cream starts to deteriorate. Katelind and Keenan are offering a variety of treats including creamsicles, Revellos, Popsicles and ice cream sandwiches for $2 each.

Because their work hours can be varied, the family has set up a Facebook page for Cool Licks Old Tyme Ice Cream Cart. They will post the latest information on their whereabouts. They also invite potential clients to post suggestions of areas for them to cover on their routes.