Skip to content

Award winning program brings ice cream to curb downtown heat

Hannah Pow and Emerenne Saefkow serve frozen treats as part of Chamber / Smithers Secondary project.
web1_SIN-17-06-28-icecreamtruck-B2017625231027530
Chamber of Commerce members Heather Gallagher (left) and Bruce Hutchinson (right) help Hannah Pow (middle left) and Emmerene Saefkow (middle right) with the opening of the Frozen North ice cream shop for this summer. (Tom Best photo)

It’s that time of year again! School’s getting out. The weather is warmer. We have that longing for something cold and sweet.

Our little hamlet has something that not many places do — an award winning little business that provides us with that summertime delicacy we all know and love — ice cream!

Several years ago, we could easily find a place on the main drag that provided us with scoops of our favorite flavors but unfortunately it ended up down the road to everyone’s disappointment.

Bruce Huthchinson of the local chamber of commerce championed the project. With the loss of the previous shop, he and Heather Gallagher, manager of the chamber, were brainstorming ideas and came up with the concept of a summer program that would provide students with some practical experience in the enterprise of running a business.

In fact, getting the jobs requires more than just an interview and a smile. They had to prepare a business plan as part of a class at school.

In part for it’s creativity, the Smithers District Chamber of Commerce was named BC Chamber of Commerce of the year. Not just in competition with other small communities, but with all communities of any size in the province.

This year’s winners were Hannah Pow and Emerenne Saefkow.

“We made our plan based on research and entrepreneurship. We had a lot of help from our families,” said Pow.

Last summer was the first one for the program and it was a popular stop for many people throughout the week. It looks like this year will be the same. The first customer this year was Galen Hite who said that he was glad he didn’t have to go all the way to Telkwa to get a real ice cream.

The schedule for the Frozen North ice cream truck will soon be found on Facebook page Frozen North Ice Cream.

They will be set up at Bugwood Bean at Second Avenue and Main Street on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. They will be at the Central Park Building Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 11.

Friday they will be at Central Park in the afternoon and then set up at Bovill Square at 7 p.m.

web1_SIN-17-06-28-icecreamtruck-A201762523734220
The big smile and the multi-coloured face says it all. It’s that time of year and we all can use a little ice cream. (Tom Best photo)