Taste of the town

There are many ways to know spring is coming. Daffodils and crocuses poking up through the earth, longer hours of daylight, gradually warming temperatures, are all harbingers of winter's fade. Around Fredericksburg, Virginia, there is the re-opening of Carl's.

Carl's is as much a part of historic Fredericksburg as the Civil War battlefields and George Washington's boyhood home. OK, that might be overstating it, but it is on the National Register of Historic Places. For more than 60 years now, Carl's has been using the original Electro Freeze machines to pump out vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream. Most of us refer to the delicious frozen product as custard, but under Virginia law, it's ice cream. Technically, custard has slightly more egg yolks than Carl's, but that really doesn't matter to us locals.

Tonight, I rode my motorcycle to Carl's after work. Every year, Carl's opens on the Friday before President's Day (and closes on the Sunday before Thanksgiving) and, for some people, hitting Carl's on opening day is as much a tradition as that baseball thing.

There is almost always a line at Carl's, but it moves quickly. The method of ordering is a little like the soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld, only without the yelling. Friendly young women, usually college students, staff the order window, and there's a definite routine:

- Be ready to order when you hit the window;
- Have your money in hand (single dollar bills are appreciated);
- Pay your tab, step to the left;
- In an instant, another staffer hands you your ice cream, and you're good to go.

I grabbed a small chocolate cone, though I'm a big fan of their chocolate malts. Given the opportunity, you'll develop your favorites, too.

The atmosphere was akin to a block party. Total strangers, united only by their affection for rich, creamy custard -- there, I said it -- mingled and chatted. One couple came over to me and, seeing my motorcycle, commented that I was "really hardcore." Surprised, I asked why they thought that.

"It's freezing out here," the man said. "That's real dedication." I wasn't sure if he meant I was dedicated to motorcycling or ice cream, but I responded the temperature was actually in the 40s and this was really good riding weather. I'm not sure he was convinced.

I talked to a family who brought their small children and their Australian Shepherd, all of whom slurped up the custard, and there were many people just hanging out, enjoying their first taste of Carl's this year.

Some of my friends dismiss the ice cream at Carl's, preferring other shops with multiple flavors. But for me, half the fun is the fact that Carl's is a Fredericksburg institution, small town Americana at its finest. Other flavors can wait, this is opening day!