Ice Cream Week: Peppermint Stick For President

BOSTON (CBS) - Ice Cream is a treat that can be enjoyed on nearly any occasion. It's even been used successfully to help campaign for elected office. Just ask State Treasurer Steve Grossman.

"I just love ice cream," he says. "And we go everywhere and I try every different flavor. I'm eating Peppermint Stick, I'm eating Frozen Pudding and Maple Walnut and Chocolate Chip."

In fact, Grossman used an ice cream tour to campaign for office last year.

Web Extra: WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker talks with Treasurer Steve Grossman

Part 1

Part 2

"I said you know, let's do an ice cream tour, it's fun," Grossman recounts. "It's not the most exciting stuff in the world to talk about bond ratings and discounted cash flows and all that, but everybody loves to talk about ice cream!"

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Ben Parker reports

And if you ever go to the Treasurer's office, don't look for the money, look for the ice cream.

"We have more ice cream there then we do have money... And as often as when people come in, I say 'would you like some ice cream?' and they look at me like, 'wait a second, I'm here in the Treasury to meet with the Treasurer, you're offering me ice cream are you kidding?' I say 'no, we've got bowls. Come on in the kitchen and they sit' and they have ice cream and it kind of changes the character of the meeting. It's fun!"

More: Ice Cream Week: Parts 1-5

Ice cream can be a big deal when it comes time to celebrate and of course a birthday party wouldn't be the same without it.

But when it comes to ice cream, it's not always the taste that draws a crowd. Sometimes it's the sound.

Many of the treats on today's ice cream trucks haven't changed much over the years, neither has the excitement the ice cream man brings. Peter Kristopolis runs an ice cream truck out of Dracut.

Photos: We All Scream For Ice Cream

"Kids do really get excited," says Kristopolis. "They jump up and down and you see them waiting on the corner there with a dollar in their hand for the ice cream truck to stop by."

And today, at ice cream trucks and stands everywhere, the tradition continues.

Web Extra: Bubbling Brook's Owner Talks Ice Cream

On a trip to Bubbling Brook in Westwood, Marie, who owns the place, told me that people who are no longer kids, are now bringing their kids to keep the tradition alive.

Web Extra: Walpole 5th Graders Sing About Their Favorite Ice Cream

"They grew up coming here with their parents so now they come with their children," Marie said, just as a group of 5th graders who had just wrapped up a concert in Walpole came by for ice cream and to sing just one more time!

Ben Parker's series can be heard all this week on WBZ NewsRadio 1030. He'll look at the area's favorite ice cream places.