It was only fitting that Killis Melton wore a smile as almost as big as the crowd in downtown McKinney Saturday.  After all, it was the 11th Annual Killis Melton Ice Cream Crank-Off that brought most of the crowd to the historic McKinney Square August 12 in search of a cool summer treat.

To many of the visitors, the crank-off was the cream of the crop of entertainment provided by McKinney Main Street and Clyde’s on the Square, but every turn of the head offered another living, breathing Norman Rockwell scene.  Fathers held daughters and watched as the McKinney Community Band performed on the square.   

McKinney Community Band

Girl Scouts passed out bookmarkers.  A talented juggler drew a crowd.  Clowns added a splash of color to the scene.  A unicyclist moved through the crowd.  One enterprising fellow put it all together and juggled around the square on a unicycle while dressed as a clown. 

Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?

A cowboy parked his horse in front of Clyde’s and children stopped by to pet his nose (the horse’s, of course). There were also numerous Elvis sightings and a pair of stilt walkers posing for photos with families.

For most people, the day started with the ice-cream crank-off.  It isn’t often that you get to sample mango chili ice cream and then step across the street to listen to a Civil War re-enactor explain the history of an 1861 Springfield rifle. 

This gentleman detailed the history of the 1861 Springfield rifle. Soldiers in the Civil War era needed their teeth to rip into gunpowder packets and load their rifles. To avoid serving in the war between the states, some went so far as to pull their four front teeth, qualifying them as 4F, a phrase that is still used to designate soldiers that are “medically unfit” for battle.

Meanwhile, young dancers showed off their best moves on the northeast corner and martial arts students gave a fast and furious demonstration on the southwest corner of the McKinney Square that was blocked off to vehicles for this special occasion.

Just fewer than 50 contestants vied for prizes in the 11th Annual Killis Melton Ice Cream Crank-Off.   To make sure everyone had plenty of homemade ice cream, Clyde Geer and his wife Lucretia prepared 50 gallons in advance for the event, including perennial crowd-pleasers like homemade peanut ice cream and Dr. Pepper ice cream.  All day there was a steady stream of visitors to Clyde’s on the Square, home of Doc ‘n Clyde’s Ice Cream Freezer Museum, the world’s most comprehensive collection of ice cream freezers.  Doc ‘n Clyde’s is home to over 300 antique freezers, in addition to classic ice cream scoops and other memorabilia.   

Clyde Geer shows off the world's largest collection of ice cream freezers in Doc 'n Clyde's Museum located inside Clyde's on the Square in downtown McKinney. photo by Michelle Holland

Judges at the crank-off, as well as the public, selected seven category winners.  The hotly contested You Made What? competition included mind boggling creations such as Avocado Coconut and Oreo Dreamsicle entries.  Of course, no competition like this could be complete without an Elvis Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich inspired concoction.  When the smoke cleared, Reid Bush was declared the 2006 You Made What? winner with his secret recipe called Raindrop.

“We still don’t know what went into it,” one official said later, “but, boy, was it good!”

The ice cream connoisseurs that attended this popular summer festival were allowed to pick the Taster’s Choice winner.  When the cream cleared in this competition, D’Vine Winery’s Ice Wine entry had the winning trophy.

Clyde presents a trophy to D'Vine Winery, winner of the Taster's Choice award.

The Overall Winner at the 2006 Killis Melton Ice Cream Crank-off went to Evelyn Dean for her Red Velvet entry.

Overall 2006 Killis Melton Ice Cream Crank-Off winner Evelyn Dean is presented a new ice cream maker by Clyde Geer. And the winning recipe? Red Velvet, of course.