The traditional drinks-and-appies networking reception is being ditched this month in favour of the good, ol' fashioned Ice Cream Social.
The Okanagan Young Professionals Collective meets tomorrow (that's Thursday, Aug. 8) 5 to 7 pm at The Sails sculpture and in City Park to socialize and network over ice cream rather than the usual coffee, beer or wine.
Young professionals are urged to meet at The Sails (at the foot of Bernard Avenue at Okanagan Lake) at 5 pm and then decide which of the various, nearby ice cream parlours they want to hit up for a cone, scoop or bowl.
You can pick any ice cream place you want and you pay for your own ice cream.
While it's technically an Ice Cream Social, no one is going to stop you from grabbing a coffee, soft drink or any other snack you'd like.
Ice cream in hand, the group will then head over to City Park to get comfy.
The Ice Cream Social is free to attend, but you're asked to register beforehand at:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/young-professional-ice-cream-social-tickets-945260257877?aff=oddtdtcreator
It's also technically a drop in session, so you can pop by anytime between 5 and 7 pm.
If you register in advance, organizers will also provide instructions on where to meet and how to connect with the group if you're coming by anytime after 5:15 pm.
The Okanagan Young Professionals Collective is an initiative of the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission.
Essentially, it's a hub of resources to attract and retain young talent -- skilled workers in their 20s and 30s.
The collective puts on regular networking and social mixers for young professionals to meet other young professionals.
While the collective is for those in their 20s and 30s, no one's checking ID, so people of all ages can connect.
For August, an Ice Cream Social was the perfect diversion for a session considerings it's summer, hot and outdoors.
An Ice Cream Social has a wholesome, 1950s vibe, a throwback to when schools, churches, community groups and themed parties made the frozen treat the focus of a get together.
If you want to geek out on Ice Cream Social history, I can tell you that Charles II, the King of England in the late 1600s, was the first known to have an ice cream party.
And even then, the ice cream was only served to those sitting at the top table with the king.
So, it was very much a delicacy for royalty.
As you can imagine, over 300 years ago, freezers were non-existent, so making ice cream was a chore.
Ingredients were mixed in a thin container and sunk into a larger container of crushed ice and salt that would freeze the mixture.
The results would have to be eaten right away because there was no freezer to pop this frozen treat into.
Ice cream first appeared in the US when the governor of Maryland had it served at a dinner party in 1744.
And ice cream was first served at the White House in 1802 under President Thomas Jefferson.
Thumbnail photos by Ian Dooley, Mark Cruz and Dana De Volk on Unsplash
