In the heat of summer, people will go to almost any extreme to keep cool. Fortunately, some of America&8217;s favorite treats, such as ice cream and snow cones, are almost sure to do the trick.

July was declared National Ice Cream Month by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. That same year he also declared the third Sunday in July to be National Ice Cream Day.

According to Scottie Mayfield, president of Mayfield Dairy Farms, Americans consume about 1.6 gallons of ice cream every year.

It is thought that the first snow cones were sold by Samuel Bert of Dallas at the State Fair of Texas in 1919, and he invented a snow cone-making machine in 1920.

Then, in 1934, inventor Ernest Hansen patented the first known &8220;ice block shaver&8221; in New Orleans, La. Reportedly, he was inspired to create a more refined and hygienic version of the popular Italian ice sold from push-carts in the city.

In Demopolis, a popular place to get hand-dipped ice cream to curb any sweet tooth desires while cooling down is at the Ice Cream Churn at the Citgo on U.S. Highway 80, which has been a part of the store since it opened 10 years ago. Mea Jackson, who mans the ice cream scoop, said that the most requested flavors are plain chocolate and vanilla.

When asked if she noticed a trend in the time that people choose to get their ice cream she said, &8220;People come by all year round.&8221;

Even when the weather is cooler, Jackson said, people come in after local football games to get a few scoops of their favorite flavor.

Another local favorite for cool summer treats is the Sugar Shack, which not only offers 14 flavors of hand-dipped ice cream, but also 125 flavors of snow cones.

Korey Kelly, store owner, said that one of the most requested flavors of ice cream is strawberry cheesecake.

They even have a snow cone flavor called &8220;homemade ice cream,&8221; which is made by combining vanilla and cream flavoring.

According to Kelly, the key to crafting a successful snow cone is not to pack the ice too tight.

In addition to some best selling flavors such as the Blue Hawaiian, Kelly said they have also gotten some &8220;customer creations.&8221;

But not everyone has an allegiance to a particular flavor.

Ice cream fun facts

Vanilla is the most popular flavor, with 29 percent of the vote.

The biggest ice cream sundae ever made was 12 feet high and made with 4,667 gallons of ice cream and 7,000 pounds of toppings in Anaheim, Calif. in 1985.

The average number of licks to polish off a single scoop is about 50.

Children ages two through 12, and adults age 45 and older, eat the most ice cream per person.

More ice cream is sold on Sunday than any other day of the week.

Licking the bowl clean after eating ice cream is admitted to by approximately 13 percent of men and 8 percent of women.

Binging on ice cream in the middle of the night is apparently done by one out of every five ice cream eaters. Also, they&8217;re usually in the 18-24 year old bracket, and it is claimed that men do this more than women.

Sharing ice cream with a pet cat or dog is done by approximately 5 percent of people.

Kelli Hilyer is a staff writer for The Demopolis Times.