The New Castle County Ice Cream Festival at Rockwood Park ended up with record attendance on its second day after struggling on Saturday.
The event bounced back with large crowds on Sunday, June 28. The first day featured showers in the early going with heavy rain that forced an early closing.
Barry Schlecker of Barry’s Events, the festival’s producer, said Sunday’s attendance, in excess of 20,000, was the largest ever for a single day at the event. “About 3,000 brave and hardy souls also enjoyed the festival through wind and rain until 2:30 p.m. on Saturday,” he said, bringing total attendance for the weekend festival to approximately 25,000.
“This year’s attendance proved once again that this is indeed ‘Delaware’s largest family picnic,’” Schlecker said.
Festival highlights included the Best Sundae on Sunday contest, won by The Ice Cream Shoppe with its Rockwood Fire Blazing Sundae, a “drone zone” operated by Skygear Solutions, two music stages, nearly 50 ice cream, food and snack vendors, children’s entertainment and a wide selection of crafters and business vendors.
The festival, sponsored by the New Castle County Government, will return to Rockwood Park next year on June 25-26, the last weekend in June.
Other primary sponsors for the event were: WJBR radio, Wegmans Food Markets, Bonefish Grill, Jake’s Wayback Burgers, The News Journal Media Group and Delaware Today magazine.
