For more than 30 years, ice cream trucks have been banned in Niskayuna after a girl was hit by a passing vehicle. After kids submitted a petition asking to get the ice cream trucks rolling around town, they’ll be discussing the issue at the regular Town Board meeting Tuesday at 7 pm.
I am generally quite pro-ice cream, and I do like the idea of the ice cream truck roaming throughout the neighborhood. It’s fun, it’s tasty, and it encourages all of those kids to come outside and gather together. Maybe they’ll hang out and play. On the other hand, we’re on a main thoroughfare, and that ice cream’s gotten expensive!  If they’re around too much, beyond enduring the tinkling music, I’ll have to establish an Official Ice Cream Truck Response Policy. . . . I’d love to see them once or twice a week, maybe. Enough so that it’s still an exciting occasion, and I can say yes every time.
I laid the paper copy of the Spotlight news article out where the girls would notice it and, when they didn’t take the bait, mentioned it in passing to M. I pointed out that the original petition was pretty skimpy and that if someone took a petition to town camp, they’d probably get loads of signatures. Secretly I was hoping that she’d get all excited about it and hand around a petition and then we could present it to the town board and it would be a wonderful Lesson in Democracy. Instead, her reaction was: 1) Ho, hum; followed by a smidgen of: 2) What-ever. Sigh. Just as well: we’ve got plans tomorrow night.
Incidentally, as I was looking into this, I learned that you can get a Mr. Ding-a-Ling truck to come to your party or special event! I know! At the risk of being redundant, I’ll have to pronounce that fun.
