The inaugural Tundra’s Summer Cooldown, presented by North Shore Federal Credit Union, brought together ice cream lovers from across the region for a memorable day of frozen treats, community celebration and friendly competition at the Lake Superior Zoo.
Despite concerns earlier in the week, the weather and air quality cleared just in time, creating a beautiful summer day for guests to enjoy the zoo and sample some of the area’s (and beyond) finest ice cream offerings. The timing couldn’t have been sweeter, as the event helped kick off the celebration leading into National Ice Cream Day the following day.
Celebrity scooper Dan Hanger.
A special thank you goes out to our celebrity scoopers who helped make the event extra fun for attendees: Dan Hanger, Roger Reinert, Mandy Turpin and Emily Ekstrom. Their enthusiasm and support added to the excitement throughout the day.
We are also thrilled to announce the recipient of the Golden Spoon Award, affectionately known as the GOAT Award. Congratulations to Minnesota Dairy Lab of Minneapolis, whose crowd-favorite flavor, Pineapple & Lime Sorbet, earned top honors and the title of Tundra’s Summer Cooldown Champion.
The Lake Superior Zoo would like to extend its sincere appreciation to all the participating creameries and ice cream shops that made this event possible:
- Crank & Dasher
- Wired Loon Coffee & Ice Cream
- Klemish Creamery
- Minnesota Dairy Lab
- Dippin’ Dots
- Jupiter Moon
- Cedar Crest
- Cold Front
Their creativity, craftsmanship and commitment to delivering exceptional frozen treats helped create an unforgettable experience for guests of all ages. And a big shoutout to Keurig Dr Pepper, who served up some fantastic ice cream floats!
But the fun wasn’t just for the humans! Throughout the day, guests gathered to watch some of the animal residents enjoy their own summer cooldowns through special enrichment experiences and frozen treats created just for them, including watermelon slushies for the bears, Tundra and Banks, and a fishsicle for snapping turtle, Nester. Seeing guests connect with the animals while learning about their care and well-being was one of the highlights of the day.
