Summer in the Okanagan brings sunshine, long days, and a craving for ice cream. While it is still a favourite seasonal treat, ice cream has a long history in Vernon, with records indicating it was already being sold locally by the 1890s.
One of the first local establishments to offer ice cream was the Horseshoe Restaurant, which was advertised in The Vernon News in June of 1893 as “a good place to dine any hour of the day.” Proprietor Krauss served freshly made ice cream in a variety of rotating flavours each day.
By 1911, ice cream had become more widely available in Vernon. That year, Louis Jones, a newcomer from Vancouver, purchased J. W. Glover’s former confectionery business on Barnard (30th) Avenue and transformed it into an ice cream parlour after several months of renovations. Around the same time, Guy Harris was operating a similar business nearby, making Vernon’s main street a popular spot for anyone with a sweet tooth.
In 1922, the Vernon Ice Cream Company, under the management of J. R. Wells, launched a short-lived venture selling “Purity” brand ice cream. The business did not appear to be a great success, as it quickly disappeared from local news.
A more significant development came in 1925, when P. Burns and Co., a Canadian meat and dairy company, acquired the Vernon Creamery, which was part of the North Okanagan Creamery Association (NOCA). Burns took over both the Vernon Creamery and the wider NOCA operation, consolidating them into a new venture called the Okanagan Valley Co-Operative. Upon acquiring the creamery, the company announced it had installed ice cream machinery “of an extensive scale” and would “devote considerable of their energy in this line during the summer months.” Although management changed, the NOCA name remained in use and became a familiar brand throughout the region, particularly known and loved for its ice cream well into the 1980s.
However, in earlier years, Vernon’s relationship with ice cream production was not without its challenges. In 1926, the Vernon chapter of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) petitioned city council to ban the sale of ice cream on Sundays by “peddlers.” Council declined, with one alderman dismissing the request as “absurd,” and another defending the freedom of children to buy a cone with their pocket change.
The most serious setback came during World War Two. In 1942, the provincial government halted ice cream production to conserve butterfat for the war effort. The timing was unfortunate for Palm Dairies, which had introduced refrigerated ice cream trucks to the Valley just two years earlier. Ice cream returned to shelves in 1947, though lingering sugar shortages made it scarce for some time.
Since then, Vernon has been home to many beloved ice cream shops and parlours. From early soda shops to today’s artisanal gelato spots, ice cream has long been a part of Vernon’s summer story.
Archives Manager, Gwyneth Evans