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TROUT RUN — July is National Ice Cream Month. Just in time to celebrate, there is now an ice cream truck that tours around the county, as well as Lycoming, Tioga, Snyder and Union counties.
Neufalicious Treats is based out of Trout Run. The owner is Matt Neufer, who after driving a truck for another company, decided his area needed its own.
“I’ve been wanting to do this for awhile. Last year during COVID is when I began the process,” said Neufer.
Last April, Neufer bought a yellow school bus from a Facebook ad in New York.
He transformed the bus into the ice cream truck in two months. He began making his local routes at the end of last summer.
“I knew I could do this and do this well,” he said, noting his prior experience in the business.
The ice cream truck houses Nestle ice cream bars, Butterfinger bars, M&M items, Reese’s, Philadelphia water ice (snow cones), Spongebob and Minion popsicles and so much more.
For Neufer, the greatest aspect of the job is the people he meets in each community and the relationships he builds with those people who look forward to his visit every week.
“I actually have a specific customer who waits for me every Saturday,” he said. “She gets up in the morning and just waits for me and I know what she gets every time.” Neufer has so many regular customers, he knows what they like and loves to strike up a conversation with them to get to know them.
If a child doesn’t know what they like, he helps them pick based on whether they want something chocolatey or fruity.
“I’ve had some very rewarding and awesome friendships that I’ve built throughout the years doing this. It’s an odd job, but it’s fun. You go to work every day, and you know you’re going to make someone’s day,” said Neufer.
Each area has its own route and is visited once a week.
“We’ve gotten great responses in the local area (Canton, Blossburg, Morris Run, Roaring Branch). We get into Blossburg and we cannot leave Blossburg it’s so busy,” said Neufer. “Now I have permits for Mansfield and Wellsboro and plan to get more (permits) at a later time.”
Right now, the ice cream truck makes rounds in the area Monday through Thursday, on any given day. On weekends, he is in the southern part of his routes. “Middleburg, Penn’s Creek, it’s about 70 miles one way,” said Neufer. “I put 12 hours in on a Saturday easily.”
Though Neufer does not have a set schedule, he says one will be made in the near future. It will be based on the permitting process in each town.
His goal is to eventually expand and get another truck to make multiple routes a night.
So, if you hear a cheery jingle, make sure to look around you and see if you can spot the polka-dotted truck coming around the corner.
Be sure to wait patiently to let the truck pull up before approaching with an order, for safety reasons.
The ice cream truck is also available for weddings, carnivals, festivals, fundraisers, community events, birthday parties and more. Neufer and his employees will continue to run the ice cream truck until Halloween, when they will be done for the season.
“It’s the sweetest job on the earth, and we are also hiring,” said Neufer. Hours are 3-9 p.m. through the week.
To find out more information, you can message them on Facebook or call 570-971-1518.