Ice cream fit for a Queen

When we were children, our family would occasionally travel to the Weirs to sail on the M/S Mount Washington around Lake Winnipesaukee. That was decades ago. Recently I decided to spend a morning on the M/V Sophie C., the mail boat that sails from the Weirs twice a day.

It was a glorious day, perfect for sitting on the top deck and allowing us a view across the landscape to the various mountain ranges including Ossipee, Sandwich, Squam, Belknap, and Gunstock. Captain Jim Morash shared the fascinating history of Winnipesaukee through ongoing commentary. The first boat delivering mail to the inhabitants of the 274 islands was in 1892. That was a time when there were farms and cows on many of the islands. Today there are four operating farms. According to legend, Lake Winnipesaukee got its name as “smile of the Great Spirit” because of two Native Americans who fell in love. Weir is a basket often used to catch fish, specifically shad, in the channel, which is where the name of this popular beach resort originated.

At each stop, as the vessel was carefully maneuvered to pull up just next to the dock, a loud horn was sounded. At a few, the Sophie C. lingered while a gaggle of children, in their wet bathing suits and wrapped in towels, would line up for the opportunity to walk up the plank onto the boat and purchase an ice cream. Laughter floated through the air and everyone, grandparents, older siblings, parents, seemed to be smiling.

We stopped at Three Mile Island, which covers 43 acres and was “settled” in August 1900 when 30 members of the Appalachian Mountain Club set up camp. The land was donated to the AMC by the Eastman family from Concord and today it is still a place almost untouched by time, and campers longtime and new can visit and enjoy the camp’s traditions of simplicity, community, sustainability, and volunteerism.

The two hours slipped away quickly and soon we could see the Weirs dock looming in the distance. I would love to have spent the afternoon sailing around all of Winnipesaukee which is, we learned, 2 1/2 miles long and 15 miles at its widest point.

Another reason I wanted to visit the Weirs was to have an ice cream at Lilliuokalani's Ice Cream & Coffee Bar. Have you ever visited this enchanting ice cream shoppe on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee? Have you ever wondered how it got the name? Let me ask you, can you pronounce it?

Frank Pasquarello who owns the lakefront shop invited me to join him for an ice cream after reading one of my columns. Sitting at a picnic table just next to the dock he told me the story of the name. The previous owner had bought the shop for his daughter, and it was her idea to name it after the last reigning monarch of Hawaii, Queen Liliuokalani, who was born Sept. 2, 1838, and lived until Nov. 11, 1917. She served as the only queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling from Jan. 29, 1891, until the Hawaiian Kingdom was overthrown in January 1893. If you are interested in her fascinating life she published an autobiography titled "Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen" during her imprisonment following the overthrow. Queen Lilliuokalani was also a composer of "Aloha does" and numerous other works. When Frank bought the shop, he decided to keep the name.

Lilliuokalani's is unique because of its dock that allows boats to pull up and let the “sailors” or those on jet skis indulge in their favorite ice cream.

“Favorite flavors?” I had to ask.

At the top of the list is vanilla, then chocolate. And sundaes? The staff at Lilliuokalani's are mostly students who often return for a few summers while they are still in school. Each summer Frank asks each of them to share their favorite sundaes with the customers and these are posted in the front of the cases where the ice cream is kept. If you wonder why it’s so good, it’s because it is made by one of New Hampshire's finest dairies, Blake’s Creamery, which was founded in 1900 by Edward Charles Blake and is still an independently operated company located in Manchester.

It was lovely chatting with Frank. We were occasionally interrupted as boats came and left and customers walked by smiling and already dipping into their ice cream. Frank’s favorite sundae? Vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce. His young staff thinks that is so boring and old-fashioned they posted it in the back of all the others so they will not be embarrassed.

For the rest of the summer, you will probably find Frank behind the counter making certain that the ice cream and the service is fit for a queen, or perhaps a king, prince, or princess. If you have ever had the fantasy of working in an ice cream shop, he could use a few more hands when the students go back to school. Indulge. It will make you feel young at heart.

•••

Elizabeth Howard is the host of the Short Fuse Podcast, found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or through the Arts Fuse. She is a journalist, columnist and communications consultant. Ned O’Gorman: A Glance Back, a book she edited, was published in May 2016. She is the author of A Day with Bonefish Joe (David R. Godine, 2015). Her articles have appeared in publications in the United States and internationally. You can send her a note at eh@elizabethhoward.com.