🍦🥤 June 20 – Ice Cream Soda Day: Fizz the Season to Chill Out 🍨✨
If summer had a theme song, it would sound like the clink of a spoon in a frosty glass of ice cream soda. June 20 is Ice Cream Soda Day, and it’s your official excuse to combine childhood nostalgia with full-on sugar-fueled happiness. Whether you call it a float, a soda, or just “dessert in a cup that makes my soul sing,” this bubbly, creamy treat deserves its own celebration—and you better believe it gets one. 🥳
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🥄 A Bubbly Backstory
So who do we thank for this fizzy masterpiece? Legend has it that Robert McCay Green, a Philadelphia soda fountain operator, “invented” the ice cream soda in 1874 when he ran out of cream at an exposition and threw in ice cream as a substitute. It was a classic whoops-that-actually-rocks moment—and boom! A summer icon was born. 🙌
Over time, regional favorites like the root beer float (aka the Black Cow) and Boston Cooler (root beer’s sassy ginger ale cousin) joined the soda fountain party. Ice cream soda was once such a sensation that "soda jerks" became cultural icons. Yes, before influencers, there were teenagers expertly scooping ice cream and pouring soda like they were bartenders of happiness. 🎩✨
🍒10+ Quirky Ways to Celebrate Ice Cream Soda Day
Make a DIY Float Bar – Invite your friends over and set up a mix-n-match station with various sodas, ice cream flavors, and toppings. Bonus points for weird combos like orange soda + pistachio. 🍊🍨
Try a Vintage Recipe – Go old-school with a classic phosphate-style ice cream soda. Just add a dash of sass and a maraschino cherry. 🍒
Get Boozy – Adults only: Try a grown-up version with Guinness and chocolate ice cream or hard root beer with vanilla. Just don’t blame us for the sugar hangover. 🍺😵
Float Around the World – Try international twists like Japan’s melon soda float or Thailand’s coconut soda + mango ice cream. 🌏🍈
Name Your Creation – Channel your inner soda jerk and give your float an outrageous name like “The Bubble Trouble” or “Cherry Bomb 3000.” 💥
Celebrate in Costume – Dress up like a 1950s soda shop server, complete with paper hat and bow tie. Bonus if you break into spontaneous doo-wop. 🎶👗
Write a Soda Love Letter – Because who wouldn’t want to wax poetic about something that fizzes and floats? 📝❤️
Create a Soda-Inspired Art Piece – Watercolors, digital art, or chalk on your driveway—show the world your foamy masterpiece. 🎨🧋
Make an Ice Cream Soda Cake – Yes, it’s a thing. There are recipes out there that infuse soda flavor into cake batter. Worth the sugar crash. 🎂
Visit a Retro Diner – Find a local joint that still serves ice cream sodas and bask in the neon nostalgia. 🏁🍔
Host an Ice Cream Soda Contest – Judge entries based on presentation, creativity, and drinkability. Extra points if your glass explodes with fizz. 🏆
🎯 Theme: “Soda Jerks in the Garden”
🥗 Starter: Chilled Cucumber Melon Soup with Mint
Cool, crisp, and elegant with a soda-shop-meets-spa twist.
Ingredients:
2 cups chopped cucumber (peeled)
1 cup honeydew or cantaloupe
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
Juice of 1 lime
Fresh mint (a handful)
Pinch of salt
Instructions:
Blend everything until smooth. Chill for 1–2 hours. Serve in small cups with a mint sprig. Maybe with a twisty straw, for kicks.
🍴 Main: Herbed Chicken Salad Croissant Sandwiches
Retro picnic vibes with fresh, gardeny energy.
Ingredients:
Shredded rotisserie or poached chicken
Chopped celery + red grapes
Chopped fresh tarragon, chives, or dill
Mayonnaise + a splash of lemon juice
Salt & pepper
Buttery croissants (split)
Instructions:
Mix chicken salad, stuff into croissants. Serve chilled or at room temp. Bonus if you wrap them in parchment with a cute little twine bow.
Vegetarian Swap: Chickpea salad version with mashed chickpeas, herbs, and the same dressing.
🌱 Side: Snap Pea & Radish Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Fresh, crunchy, bright.
Ingredients:
Sugar snap peas, sliced
Thinly sliced radishes
Feta or goat cheese crumbles
Lemon zest + juice
Olive oil, salt, pepper
Toss and chill. Optional: Add chopped fresh dill or basil for herbaceous charm.
🍹 Bonus Drink Option: Fizzy Garden Spritzer (Non-Ice-Cream Edition)
Sparkling water + splash of herbal syrup (lavender, rosemary, or mint)
Squeeze of citrus
Fresh herb garnish
Great for sipping before dinner while admiring your indoor flower arrangements or petting a cat.
🍨 Dessert: Build-Your-Own Ice Cream Soda Bar (Star of the Show!)
Let guests mix and match syrups, ice creams, and toppings.
Base Setup:
Ice cream: vanilla, strawberry, lavender, chocolate
Sparkling water or club soda
Flavored syrups: strawberry, lavender honey, chocolate, elderflower, cherry
Toppings: whipped cream, sprinkles, edible flowers, maraschino cherries, mint
Pro tip: Pre-scoop ice cream into cups and freeze them ahead of time for ease.
Optional Cocktail Twist:
Add a splash of spiked cream soda, limoncello, or elderflower liqueur.
🕯 Atmosphere Tips:
Serve everything picnic-style on the floor or outdoors (but bugs, so... maybe indoors).
Add fairy lights, gingham napkins, and retro music.
Put a vintage soda sign on the table. No reason. Just vibes.
🍭 Elementary Classroom Activity: "The Great Soda Float-Off!"
🧁Theme: Science + Storytelling + Sensory Fun
🎯 Objective:
Students will explore simple chemical reactions (baking soda + vinegar) alongside real soda floats, practice sequencing and descriptive writing, and celebrate with a mini float tasting.
🍧 Materials:
Vanilla ice cream (1 large tub)
A few types of soda (root beer, orange soda, cola, lemon-lime)
Small clear plastic cups
Spoons
Paper towels (for spills!)
Chart paper or whiteboard
“My Fizzy Float Adventure” mini-booklet
Vinegar + baking soda + clear plastic cup (demo only)
🧠 Steps:
Fizz-tastic Hook (10 mins):
Start with a quick science demo: mix baking soda and vinegar in a clear cup and let kids observe the bubbling reaction. Ask: “What does this remind you of?” (Guide them toward ice cream soda floats!)
Build Background (5 mins):
Show a short slideshow or video (1–2 mins) about the history of the ice cream soda. 🥽✨ Originating in the 1870s, they were accidentally invented! Perfect quirky tidbit!
Float Tasting & Charting (20 mins):
Let students try small samples of 2–3 float combos in clear cups.
Create a class “Float Flavor Chart” with columns: Soda Type | Yum Rating (1–5) | Fizz Level | Best Combo
Creative Writing: “My Fizzy Float Adventure” (25 mins):
Hand out the mini booklet: a foldable zine with prompts like:
“The first sip made me feel like…”
“My soda float became magical and flew me to…”
“The bubbles started talking and they said…”
Wrap-Up (10 mins):
Share stories aloud!
🧪 Secondary Classroom Activity: "Soda Science Showdown: Build the Ultimate Float"
🧬Theme: Chemistry + Branding + Taste Test Challenge
🎯 Objective:
Students work in teams to design and defend their own custom ice cream soda float—blending chemistry, creativity, and persuasive speaking.
🍨 Materials:
Ice cream (vanilla + 1-2 flavor options)
Variety of sodas (root beer, cream soda, cola, fruit sodas)
Cups, spoons, napkins
“Float Lab Sheets” (for pH tests, taste profiles, branding notes)
pH test strips (optional but cool!)
Chart paper or slides for presentations
Judging sheet handouts
🧠 Steps:
Intro: Float Science (10 mins):
Quick review: acid/base reactions, carbonation, why ice cream foams in soda.
Optional: Test pH of different sodas with strips. Discuss: Which ones are most acidic? How might this affect fizz or taste?
Team Challenge Kickoff (30 mins):
In teams, students:
Mix & test soda + ice cream combos
Take notes on taste, texture, fizz factor, visual appeal
Develop a brand name, slogan, and 2-minute pitch for their float
Presentation Round (15 mins):
Each team presents their “Ultimate Float” to the class using their lab sheet + branding pitch.
Encourage quirky names like “Cherry Bombshell” or “Galactic Grape Fizz.”
Judging & Voting (10 mins):
Class votes using rubrics:
Most Creative Combo
Best Flavor
Most Scientific Explanation
Best Marketing Pitch
Reflection (10 mins):
Journal or discussion: What did you learn about taste, chemistry, or teamwork? What surprised you about the experiment?
🍦Quirky in the Workplace
🥤 "Build-Your-Own Soda Lab: Corporate Edition"
Set up a mad scientist-style Ice Cream Soda Creation Station in the breakroom. Think lab coats, goggles, beakers (okay, mason jars), and a wildly unnecessary variety of sodas and ice cream flavors.
Encourage coworkers to invent the most unhinged soda float combos they can imagine—then name them like corporate buzzwords:
“Synergy Swirl” (Dr. Pepper + pistachio ice cream + a dash of cinnamon)
“Quarterly Crunch” (Coke + rocky road + crumbled pretzels)
“The Friday Deadline” (Red Bull + vanilla ice cream + regret)
🏆 Optional:
Host a dramatic tasting panel à la Great British Bake Off meets Shark Tank. Judges must give feedback like:
“I’m getting notes of childhood trauma and... banana?”
🎖️ Winner receives:
A golden spoon trophy and the right to rename the conference room “The Float Zone” for the day.
Tagline:
“June 20: Because nothing bonds a team like carbonated dairy and chaos in a cup.”
🎬 Movie Pick: Grease (1978)
Why it fits:
Grease is practically dripping with 1950s diner culture — think pink milkshakes, soda fountains, and leather jackets. The Frosty Palace, where much of the teen drama unfolds, is exactly the kind of place you'd sip an ice cream soda while rocking out to jukebox tunes. It's nostalgic, vibrant, and full of fizzy fun — just like an ice cream soda.
📺 TV Episode Pick: Riverdale, Season 1, Episode 1 – “Chapter One: The River’s Edge”
Why it fits:
The series kicks off with scenes at Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe, a modern homage to the classic soda fountain diner. Ice cream sodas, milkshakes, and drama are always on the menu here. The first episode sets the tone for this key hangout spot where Archie and the gang gather, tying perfectly into the Ice Cream Soda Day theme with a mysterious, sweetly stylized edge.
☀️ Pro Tip:
Don’t forget the straw-spoon hybrid (spoonstrah? stroon?). It’s the only acceptable utensil for slurping up the last fizzy bit without losing your dignity—or the cherry at the bottom. 😉
📸 Hashtag & Share
Share your soda concoctions and vintage vibes with:
#IceCreamSodaDay #FloatLife #FizzAndFun #CelebrateQuirky #SundaeInAGlass
