South Bristol Select Board members Robert Clifford and Adam Rice present the Spirit of America Award to Ken Lincoln and Caril-Anne Crockett Lincoln at the Thompson Ice House’s ice cream social on Sunday, July 5. The Spirit of America Award is presented every year by the South Bristol Select Board in recognition of an outstanding person or organization who has served the community. From left: Robert Clifford, Caril-Anne Crockett Lincoln, Ken Lincoln, and Adam Rice. (Amelia Rice photo)
The South Bristol Select Board had a special surprise in store for the Thompson Ice House’s annual ice cream social on Sunday, July 5.
Board members Adam Rice and Robert Clifford presented the members of the Thompson Ice House Preservation Corp. with the Spirit of America Award in celebration of the organization’s 200th anniversary and the community engagement fostered by its board members and volunteers.
“South Bristol is a special place made up with equally great people,” Rice said as he presented the award to Ken Lincoln, president of the Thompson Ice House Preservation Corp. “It is my pleasure to give this award to the members of the Thompson Ice House Preservation Corp. for their dedication to keeping this piece of history alive and well. From the town of South Bristol, we say thank you.”
From noon to 3 p.m., locals and summer visitors alike enjoyed homemade ice cream made the old-fashioned way with an antique hand-crank machine. The ice harvested from the Thompson Pond during February was crushed using an antique tool and added to the machine to chill the ice cream.
In addition to the ice cream the event is known for, attendees could enjoy hot dogs, brownie sundaes, root beer floats, and music from local band Hired Help.
T-shirts and other Thompson Ice House merchandise were available for sale.
“(The ice cream social) is what we say it is, an ice cream social,” Lincoln said. “It’s a very social event. A lot of people come and see one another that normally don’t have that opportunity.”
The Thompson Ice House’s ice cream social remains a celebration of history and community. Sitting on a corner of Thompson Pond, the ice house was transformed from a farm to a commercial business by Asa Thompson, supplying ice to local fishermen.
The ice house gained nonprofit status in 2007 while another Thompson by the name of Herbert presided over it. In 1987, Herbert donated all the property, pond, and dam to the Thompson Ice House Preservation Corp. under terms of it being maintained as a museum.
The Thompson Ice House Museum, at 1864 Route 129 in South Bristol, remains open for the summer from 1-4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, go to thompsonicehouse.com.
