A cold, sticky, yummy good time . . .

Main Street in Royal Oak was THE place to be Thursday evening to mingle with champions, enjoy free scoops of ice cream and make wishes come true! Coldstone Creamery’s around the country gave away free scoops of wish-kid Cole’s Creation – a wonderful concoction of chocolate ice cream with yellow cake, chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles mixed in - delicious! In exchange, ice cream lovers made a donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help make wishes come true. I joined a few of the Detroit Tigers wives to scoop, mix and serve on the famous ‘cold-stone’ in Royal Oak. So many people stopped by and I ended up standing near the cash register signing autographs and checking out all the different creations. I did manage to catch up with a very special wish-kid, Evan who just a few months ago realized his most heartfelt wish to travel to Washington D.C. and meet President George W. Bush! As his father recounted the experience for us, Evan was twisting and grinning with excitement as he re-lived his wish-come-true. I also shared a scoop of ice cream with Kimberly Craig of WXYZ Channel 7 News after a quick interview for the 6 o’clock news. Mike Meroff, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, joined his wife who was working hard behind the stone for a quick bite himself! Many children (of all ages) were pleased to enjoy their free Cole’s Creations, their own creations, samples of Coldstone’s new smoothies, and some good old fashioned family fun downtown. When I caught up with this young lady, she wanted to get a better look at the Miss Michigan crown. When I assured her it was okay to touch it, she slowly reached out her hand. When I asked her what she thought, her reply was “it’s kinda sticky.” Hummm. I don’t know if it was the ice cream or a few months worth of hairspray, but either way it was not the reaction I had expected.

A huge thank you to all of the managers and staff at the Royal Oak Coldstone Creamery on Main Street – who no matter how long the lines got or how many scoops they helped us amateurs mix - they remained most energetic, friendly and helpful. They are the true heroes of the day!

Did you miss it? It’s not too late! Visit your local Coldstone Creamery anytime in October and make a wish come true by purchasing a hanging star with your ice cream! To find a location nearest you, visit www.coldstonecreamery.com.