Eat Ice Cream, Make History in World's Biggest Ice Cream Social This Week

Get out your spoons, Rochester, and get ready to make history with the world's biggest ice cream social.

is hosting its annual Make-A-Wish Foundation fundraiser Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m.

The restaurant will be serving 3-ounce cups of a special Make-A-Wish Creation — sweet cream ice cream with brownie, rainbow sprinkles and fudge — for free, although donations to Make-A-Wish are accepted.

Start scooping

How much ice cream are they serving?

Owner Todd Frerichs prepared 16 gallons of the Make-A-Wish Creation for tomorrow night. That's enough to serve 400 people.

"Last year it was a super, crazy, busy night, but manageable," Frerichs said. "This year we are doubling our staff for the night to keep people moving through."

This year's ice cream social will also feature celebrity scooper Clint Verran. Verran is a world-class runner and owner of Clint Verran Sports Medicine in Lake Orion. 

Bikers welcome

organized a bike ride from their store on Rochester Road to Cold Stone in support of the fundraiser. The route will wind through neighborhoods up to Avon, then take Old Perch to Walton. Interested bikers should be at KLM at 5 p.m. to prepare for a 5:30 departure. 

"I anticipate the ride to be about 40 minutes there, 30 minutes for our ice cream and then 40 minutes back to the store, so I recommend bikers come with a light," KLM store manager, Ryan Katulic said.

Bikers and Make-A-Wish already share a connection with the WAM 300 Bicycle Tour, which raises money to help grant wishes for Michigan kids.

"Make-A-Wish supports bikers and bikers support Make-A-Wish," Katulic said. "Todd (Frerichs) is a biker and a sponsor of our bike race team so it's perfect ... a neat little thing for everyone."

World's largest

With more than 1,400 Cold Stone locations throughout the United States, tomorrow's event is officially the world's largest ice cream social. 

Donations will be accepted for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In addition, Cold Stone has been selling Make-A-Wish stars throughout September. The star is signed or personalized by the purchaser, then hung on the walls of Cold Stone. The Rochester Hills location has sold nearly 400 stars, proudly displayed, raising an additional $400 for Make-A-Wish.

September also features a special value menu. A plain Kid Cone is $1, a Kid Creation with one mix-in is $1.50 and a "Like It" serving is $2.50.

Other fundraisers

Frerichs is part of the Rochester Hills community and welcomes the opportunity to help give back. As owner for the past two years he has hosted fundraisers for local schools, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, breast cancer and leukemia support groups and many others. Nonprofits receive at least 25 percent of the sales they bring in.

"Our most successful fundraising events seem to happen when we have teachers as the celebrity scoopers," Frerichs said.

A former engineer at General Motors, Frerichs enjoys the freedom of self-employment and a certain surprising notoriety. "Sometimes when I go into schools I'll hear the kids say, 'There's the ice cream man!' " Frerichs said with a smile.

Cold Stone Creamery is located at 3026 Walton Blvd. in the Trader Joe's plaza — it actually faces Adams Road. The ice cream social will take place tomorrow night from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Call 248-375-6000 with questions.