Where To Celebrate National Ice Cream Sandwich Day 2017

For many, the warm weather, beaches and sweet treats make summer one of the best times of the year. For ice cream enthusiasts, summer brings with it National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, which is celebrated August 2.

The tasty treat was invented in 1899 in New York City’s Bowery, according to the book “Of Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making” by Jeri Quinzio. Quinzio's homage to the art of ice cream also detailed the ice cream sandwich’s predecessor, “the hokey pokey,” a London treat made from a slice of ice cream and named after ice cream vendors cries of “Okey-pokey.”

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“As a new fad, the ice-cream sandwich might have made thousands of dollars for its inventor had the novelty been launched by a well-known caterer, but strangely enough the ice-cream sandwich made its advent in a humble Bowery pushcart,” said a 1901 column in the New York Mail. “The thin wafers which go to make up the sandwich help to modify the coolness of the ice cream, so that it can be eaten more readily.”

Quinzio also dug up a 1902 story in the New York Tribune that said city kids forced the price of ice cream sandwiches down to a penny.

“The sandwich was introduced three years ago, and sold for two years at 2 and 3 cents” before recalcitrant boys and girls got the price down, reported the Tribune.

The modern and iconic ice cream sandwich of vanilla ice cream between chocolate wafers was invented by Jerry Newberg at Forbes Field, the former home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. But there are several varieties of the old standard. There are chipwiches, where ice cream is placed between two chocolate chip cookies. There's also an Israeli version called the Kasata, which uses sponge cake and a Vietnamese version called the bánh mì kẹp kem, which is a bánh mì sandwich with ice cream.

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To celebrate, try and grab an ice cream sandwich at one of the many national ice cream joints honoring the delicious holiday with free and discounted treats.

Hood, whose headquarters are in Boston, Massachusetts, will be giving out free ice cream sandwiches at Government Center from noon to 4 p.m.

In Morristown, Vermont there will be ice cream sandwiches at the Morristown Centennial Library from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Eggloo in New York City’s East Village will have a buy one, get one free deal from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

In Omaha, Nebraska you can get an ice cream sandwich from Cold Stone Creamery in Midtown Crossing for $2 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

CC’s Sweets and Treats in McAllen, Texas will be giving 20 percent off ice cream sandwiches from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

If you are in Miami, Florida you can head to Wynwood Parlor Sweet Shoppe for two for one ice cream sandwiches in you RSVP to their event on Facebook.

CREAM on the West Coast is giving away miniature ice cream sandwiches for one penny from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at their shops in California, Nevada and Florida .