State Dessert-Ice Cream Cone

Kids get law passed; what's next for them?

The Missouri Legislature has passed a law making the ice cream cone as the state's official dessert. Now, the sponsoring kids are looking at what next steps to take in promoting the sweet treat.

Last month, Young Saint Louis.com reported on efforts by a group of home-schooled kids from St. Louis County to get the 2008 Missouri Legislature to name the ice cream cone as the official state dessert.

Then, in the final week of the legislative session in mid-May, both houses passed identical versions of the bill. The only thing left is for Gov. Matt Blunt to sign the legislation.

The governor has 45 days after the Legislature adjourned to sign legislature. Since the bill is hardly controversial, the signing is virtually certain.

Elise Kostial

Twelve-year-old Elise Kostial of Ellisville said the kids were waiting to get started on the "next promotional step until the governor actually signs it into law."

But, the kids have been holding discussions about how they can make the law benefit the state's economy.

One of their ideas is to find ways to commission an Ice Cream Cone monument. They'd like the statue to be installed in Forest Park. That's where historians agree the waffle cone/ice cream combination first was sold in 1904.

That site was on the midway of the 1904 World's Fair, held in what is now Forest Park.

Eleven-year-old Kjia Zuroweste of New Haven already has contacted the Library of Congress seeking information on just where the two vendors' stands were located on the fair grounds.

In addition, the kids will be contacting the Missouri History Society, the Mercantile Library and local public libraries for detailed historical data.

Of course, the kids know that monuments cost money.

But, as was indicated in the lobbying blitz to get their dessert bill passed, the kids know how to find influential sponsors.

They got the Missouri Department of Tourism, many of the state's largest milk producers and ice cream manufacturers to endorse their legislative effort. One of the features of their lobbying was an ice cream cone party at the State Capitol that drew 1,300 people.

Another idea for future promotion would be to hold an annual Ice Cream Cone Festival around the monument each summer.

Another idea would be to add a regular feature to the Missouri State Fair, held each year in Sedalia, Mo. That might involve a display that showed the whole process of making ice cream and the cones.

The kids would like that process to start with the milking of the cow to churning the ice cream and baking the cones.

Of course, one thing going for the kids is that the end product of a sweet ice cream cone would have universal appeal to the audience.

When the Ice Cream Cone bill got final approval in that last week of the 2008 legislative session, some of the kids were in the balcony watching the vote.

From left to right, Kjia Zuoweste, Elise Floyd, Kayleigh Hecht, Elise Kostial,
Garrett Floyd and Jacob Frost. .

Elise said, "That was very exciting. The Representatives gave us a standing ovation after the vote."

Nicholas Frost

One of the legislators who wasn't too happy with the vote was Sen. Kevin English of Farmington. He's a firm opponent of all such "state designation" legislation. As would happen, on passage day, Elise and Kjia said they shared an elevator ride with Senator English and exchanged words about their bill.

Nicholas Frost said one lesson he learned from the legislative experience was "that getting a bill passed is hard work. You have to do a lot to get a bill passed."

For instance, some of the kids were in Jefferson City as many as eight times lobbying for their bill. They appeared before various legislative committees and met with legislators individually.

Jacob Frost

Jacob Frost said, "Politics is very weird. One representive said, 'It's chaos.' But, I found most politicians were nice."

Since the proposal got final passage, the kids are getting offers of assistance from some old and new sources.

During the lobbying, Elise debated KMOX radio talk show host Charlie Brennan about the relative merits of the ice cream cone or gooey butter cake as the state dessert. Brennan favored the cake.

But, he's talked to the kids about maybe helping with their post-passage promotional ideas. Brennan is an active promoter of city beautification and signing historic sites.

This month, a local author Pam Vacarro contacted Elise about the kids' project. Ms. Vacarro is the author of a book, "Beyond the Ice Cream Cone," and is a local expert on the 1904 World's Fair.

She gave the kids ideas on where the ice cream and waffle vendors had their food stands. She promised the kids she was going to include them in her regular library lectures on the World's Fair.

St. Louis kids meet with one of their bill sponsors, Senator John Louden

As soon as the governor signs their law, the kids are ready to spring into action to make sure the ice cream cone gets its due as a state historic icon. And, they'd like to help the state's current economy too.

(To view the kids' own website, visit http://themissouriicecreamcone.org/.)