Ice cream, police officers and plenty of family fun came together in downtown Hastings on Tuesday, Aug. 18, as Crème de la Crème hosted its Cones for Cops community celebration with members of the Hastings Police Department.
The two-hour event, held from 4 to 6 p.m., gave families a chance to meet local officers in a relaxed setting while enjoying ice cream and activities at the downtown shop. Crème de la Crème organized the event as a way to bring residents together, give children an opportunity to interact with police officers and recognize the men and women who serve the Hastings community.
Visitors could build their own ice cream sundaes, enjoy other treats and take photographs with a life-size police officer and K9 photo prop. The shop also offered a coloring contest for children, with completed coloring sheets due by 5:30 p.m. and prizes offered to participants.
The event was designed around simple activities and casual conversations, allowing children and their families to interact with officers outside the circumstances in which residents might normally encounter police.
Crème de la Crème described the gathering before the event as being about “bringing our community together, letting the kids have some fun, and celebrating the men and women who help keep Hastings safe.”
Those plans appeared to translate into a busy evening at the shop, with police officers joining employees and residents for photos, conversations and, in at least one case, some unexpected ice cream duty.
According to Crème de la Crème, Officer Whitney stepped behind the counter to help scoop ice cream after some of the shop’s regular scoopers headed outside to distribute samples. The business later praised Whitney’s performance behind the counter, joking that they would happily hire her back.
A young attendee named Harvey also drew attention during the evening while dressed as an officer, earning the title of the shop’s “little VIP” in a post following the event. The shop joked that while Harvey may have been an officer in disguise for the evening, it hoped to recruit him as a future ice cream scooper.
Mayor Mary also joined in the activity, making an appearance behind the photo booth during the celebration.
The Hastings Police Department’s presence was central to the event, but the evening was intended to feel more like a neighborhood gathering than a formal public safety program. Officers talked with residents, posed for photographs and spent time with children while families enjoyed handcrafted ice cream and other treats.
The City of Hastings summed up the event afterward as an afternoon featuring “Good conversations, great community and plenty of ice cream!”
Crème de la Crème also thanked the officers, community members and volunteers who helped make the event possible.
“We are so fortunate to have such an amazing police presence in our community, and we truly can’t express enough gratitude and appreciation for the men and women who serve and protect us every day,” the business said following the event.
For the downtown ice cream shop, the evening provided another opportunity to use a familiar local gathering place for something beyond dessert. Families could stop in for a sundae, children could meet the people behind the badges and officers could spend time with residents in an informal environment.
“Thank you to our officers, our community, and everyone who came out and made the evening so much fun,” Crème de la Crème said. “Nights like this are exactly why we LOVE being part of Hastings!”