The Shaved Ice Business

Back to the Old Grind

      Twenty-five or 26 years ago, we bought these machines.   

     The original idea was to make a little summer money and maybe provide summer jobs for our daughters to earn a little college money.  The summer jobs idea didn’t work out very well. 

      We tried setting up at three or four fairs and a couple of auto shows, but we ended up doing one fair a year, the LincolnCcounty Fair in Hugo.  It takes up most of the week, starting with clean up.

      Then transfer and set up.

       A trip to Limon every day for 100 pounds of ice, and serving customers. 

Some very satisfied ones.

       Watching the world go by during the slow times.

     Musn’t forget the highlight of the Fair, the Homebrew Contest held on Thursday evening.

 

      The brewers are on the left, the “judges” on the right.  The judges are those who don’t mind being seen sipping a brew in public.  Contest organizer Jim sets up cups with numbers on them.  Each brewer gets a number.  Each judge gets one ticket.  After trying a sample of each product, the judge drops his ticket in the numbered cup that corresponds to the best brew.

    My brown ale tied for fifth—out of six entries.  Oh well.  It’s not whether you won or lost but how you played the game, and trying your competitors’ ware.

    The big winner—Apricot Blond.

      That’s how last week went, Tuesday getting ready for fair, Wednesday through Saturday at the fair.  We finished unloading in the dark Saturday night following the final event, the biggest attraction of the fair, the demolition derby, highlighted by the school bus crash competition.

      Well, last event unless you attend the fair dance that starts about 9 Saturday night and goes into Sunday morning.  Sorry, but I didn’t have much left for dancing after being on my feet shaving ice most of the week.

      Sunday found us in the greater Denver area rehearsing with my siblings for August 26 appearances in Brighton.

     Rockies game Monday night.  (Lots of shopping Monday before the game, fish and chips at the Irish pub right before the game.) 

     I tell you this farming business is lots of work.  Finally back to the ranch on Tuesday.  I have a few things to do before the wheat gets planted.