www.towntimes.com
Volume 23, Number 52
Friday, March 29, 2019
SURE SIGN OF SPRING
Ice cream shops open for season By Ashley Kus Record-Journal staff
Local ice cream shops opened for the season this month, signaling the start of spring and sprinklecovered confections.
Bladesmith Matthew Berry poses in his Middlefield workshop. Bailey Wright, Town Times
Local bladesmith competes on History Channel show Middlefield resident Matthew Berry, who has been forging in his backyard for about a decade, recently competed on The History Channel’s “Forged in Fire” show. After losing in the finals of The Lion Spear competition in Season 5, Berry came back for a redemption round at the start of Season 6.
“And I actually made it to the finals and won, because you never know what they’re going to ask you to make .... but for the final we got to choose what we made from European swords and I was like, ‘yeah,’ this is exactly what I would have wished for in the final,” Berry said. “Forged in Fire” is a competition that “tests some of the best (bladesmiths) in the field as they attempt to recreate some of history’s most iconic edged weapons.”
The longtime Middlefield resident, who is retired, was invited to compete after show producers found his Etsy page online. “Afterward, it was fun, (but) at the time it altered between fun, boredom and terror and stress,” Berry said about the filming process. “You get caught up on it and there’s $20,000 on the line and you just didn’t know what was gonna happen.” See Bladesmith, A9
The longtime soft serve shop opened Wednesday, March 20 two days earlier than expected. The day before opening, DiGiandomenico was working to clean and put together ice cream machines. “There’s a lot of items, and you really don’t realize it when you’re in full swing,” DiGiandomenico said of preparations. “It’s just a case of filling this or filling that and you order one or two things when you need them, but the beginning of the season it’s tough to get everything organized.” Sarah Atkinson, a Meriden resident and worker
“They always tell me that they’re really happy that it’s open and they’ve been waiting all year,” Atkinson said of customer response. Popular treats at Les’ include peanut butter parfaits, flurries and upside down banana splits, layered with sliced bananas, pineapple, chocolate and strawberry ice cream. Durham Dari Serv was expected to open for the season on Friday, March 22. “The phone rings nonstop,” said owner Bob Pavlick of customer anticipation. “I have a lot of new flavors and a new group of employees I’m excited about.” He said he will announce the flavors as the season progresses. Other local frozen dessert shops that have opened for the season include See Ice cream, A12
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By Bailey Wright Town Times
“It’s a big deal,” said Debra DiGiandomenico, owner of Les’ Dairy Bar on East Main Street in Meriden. “It feels good that people see it as the first sign of spring.”
at the dairy bar, helped stock the counters full of toppings, cups, cones and spoons.
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