Correspondent photo / Sean Barron
Dante Bernard, a Mahoning Valley Historical Society educator, prepares ingredients for vanilla ice cream during a celebratory event Sunday at the Tyler History Center in downtown Youngstown. The gathering recognized National Ice Cream Day, as well as Harry B. Burt, a local confectioner who invented the Good Humor bar around 1920.

“You shake it for about five minutes. You work off all the calories you’re going to eat,” Bernard, a Mahoning Valley Historical Society educator, said.

Bernard was referring to the late parts of the process for preparing hand-shaken vanilla ice cream.

The initial steps called for combining a half cup of milk and cream, a tablespoon of sugar and a quarter teaspoon of vanilla extract or powder, then placing the sweet ingredients into a pint-sized plastic bag before sealing it, then adding it to a gallon-sized bag and shaking it, he explained.

The process was part and parcel of a gathering Sunday afternoon at the Tyler History Center, 325 W. Federal St., downtown, to celebrate National Ice Cream Day.

The four-hour free open house also recognized and honored Harry B. Burt, the well-known local confectioner who invented the Good Humor chocolate-coated ice cream bar around 1920 and had his business in the Tyler History Center building.

Sponsoring the funfest for children and adults was the Hermitage, Pa.-based Joy Baking Group, perhaps best known for its variety of ice cream cones, wafers and cookies.

While expending a fair number of calories via the shaking process, attendees were encouraged to add sprinkles or similar toppings to their treats. After that, those who saw the process through were invited to “enjoy the fruits of your labor,” Bernard said.

Burt, who was born in Cortland, ran a candy and ice cream business shortly after his arrival in the early 1890s in Youngstown, until his death in May 1926, after which it continued for several years.

In 1893, Burt opened a shop and started by selling penny candy, H. William Lawson, the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s executive director, noted.

Burt set up a candy factory with three storefronts along North Phelps Street in downtown Youngstown near what was the Wick Building, Lawson said.

In his teen years, Burt moved with his mother to the Akron and Cleveland areas, where his interest in candy making grew. At one point, a candy maker in Cleveland hired the young Burt to be an assistant during a time when producing commercial-grade ice cream was relatively new, Lawson added.

On April 4, 1922, Burt opened a new local confectionery that also included candy and ice cream factories, a bakery and candy counter, a florist shop, restaurant, soda fountain and ballroom. The business remained open until 1935, nine years after Burt’s death, under varying management, according to the Tyler History Center.

In addition, Burt’s children helped him develop the Good Humor bar and gave their father the idea to place the treat on a stick. It wasn’t long before he began selling the mass-produced bars in many Youngstown neighborhoods from freezer trucks that had bells and uniformed drivers, according to the history center.

“His son and daughter-in-law bought the candy business after Burt’s death,” Lawson said.

Eventually, investors purchased the Burt brand and formed the Good Humor Corp. of America.

Sunday’s festivities also included five 30-minute guided walking tours through parts of the downtown corridor at which Burt had his confectionery businesses.

In addition, free Good Humor bars were distributed, and plenty of hands-on activities were available.

Many children, including Melody Comstock, 5, of Boardman, busied themselves by cutting out and coloring images of Burt on pieces of paper.

Providing the a cappella musical entertainment was the Exhibit A Barbershop Quartet, which offered its rendition of popular tunes such as “Annie’s Song,” a 1974 hit by John Denver.