HERE COMES THE ICE CREAM TRUCK! The aptly named new biz-on-wheels truckin' around the Menomonie area is bringing sweet treats right to your neighborhood.

On the streets of Menomonie, something new is roaming … and it sure is a sweet surprise! The aptly named mobile biz, Your Local Ice Cream Truck, has been spurring excitement and notes of nostalgia for many with its jingling music and ice cream treats for weeks.

From classic ice cream sandwiches to Bomb Pops to colorful snow cones and popsicles galore, kids and adults alike have been running down Your Local Ice Cream Truck for a taste! So, who’s behind the wheel?

17-year-old David Fern is taking the summer before his senior year at Menomonie High School to try his hand at the truckin’ biz, and the community support thus far has been incredible to experience, he said.

"Everyone that we stop and serve is extremely excited and the kids always come running."

DAVID FERN

OWNER OF YOUR LOCAL ICE CREAM TRUCK

“It took a couple weeks for people to become accustomed to the ice cream truck and know where the music is coming from,” Fern said. “Everyone that we stop and serve is extremely excited and the kids always come running.”

With help from his grandfather who has been in the business game throughout his life, Fern tossed around the idea of starting up a landscaping business before pivoting to something totally different and definitely sweeter. After buying a shuttle bus from the Twin Cities area and converting it into the ice cream truck it is now, Fern and his grandfather consulted with several ice cream distributors before landing on one from Minnesota.

David Fern.

While folks have enjoyed the options Your Local Ice Cream Truck has now, Fern said he will continue to seek out new options and stock what customers want most, as he has already done this summer.

“Many people tell me how awesome it is for me to be a business owner at such a young age and wish me the best of luck,” Fern said. “Almost every person I stop and serve will ask me questions about the truck, such as if it is mine and when I will be back by their house.”

Fern posts the truck’s schedule including what times and the general area he – or the other newly-hired driver – will be driving through via the business’s Facebook page, and once folks hear the ice cream truck’s tunes from a ways away, they wait along their driveways for him to stop.

Your Local Ice Cream Truck has also done a handful of events and recently partnered with a local business, Mainstream Boutique (1506 9th Street E, Menomonie), where customers were given a free ice cream coupon with any purchase from the store, and those types of events and partnerships are something Fern said he hopes to continue.

Local kids enjoying treats from Your Local Ice Cream Truck.

Fern will continue truckin’ along for the remainder of the summer, and once fall rolls around, he will continue until business tapers with the cooler weather. Though Fern is planning on moving onto additional education once graduating high school next year, there’s no sure end to Your Local Ice Cream Truck.

“I’m unsure of what will happen in the future, but we definitely want the truck to continue traveling the streets of Menomonie.”

Keep up with Your Local Ice Cream Truck on its Facebook page to see updates on its whereabouts.