Topic: Around Town
Or round the neighborhood, anyway: the Mister Softee cone, that is. Today we mourn the passing of James Conway, Sr., the founder of the Mister Softee franchise. He and his partner built an empire of more than 600 trucks on the back of that godawful song (mp3). And did you know it has lyrics?
The CREAM-i-est DREAM-i-est SOFT ice CREAM
you GET from MIS-ter SOF-tee.
FOR a re-FRESH-ing de-LIGHT su-PREME
LOOK for MIS-ter SOF-tee….
I’m not sure if knowing the lyrics will make hearing the trucks better or worse, but I’m still relieved that at the start of a new summer, Mayor Bloomberg’s noise regulation compromise remains in effect: Mister Softee trucks can play their jingle while they drive, but they can’t park and play it, which is what they liked to do out in front of the Gowanus Projects across the street from our old apartment. For hours. Sometimes after 10 p.m.
RIP, Mr. Conway. Let’s hope you go to a heaven full of ice cream, not a hell of eternal exposure to that horrible, horrible ditty.