Coronavirus and kids: The ice cream truck still cometh . . . but is it welcome?

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In the hush of West Brighton last week, there it was, loud and clear -- Turkey in the Straw, the peppy music of warm weather and herald of sweet, yummy treats in the neighborhood.

These days on Staten Island the ice cream man cometh. But in the COVID-19 world of social distancing, he is not welcome.

“Seriously! Ya think kids will stand six-feet apart?” one of my West Brighton neighbors texted last week. Her 5-year old son wanted ice cream. She followed up with another message as he watched the truck through the window: “Had to say no. Seems all I can say these days."

Janine McGinley of West Brighton said, “It was nice to see the truck but sad because we wouldn’t let the kids eat it. We were too scared. My kids are sitting there and they want it so badly."

Micheal, 7, and Maria, 4, Consolmagno sat on the roof of the family mini-van in Arden Heights and waved to their ice cream man as he rolled down the block. Mom Jackie said patronizing the truck during the coronavirus crisis was not cool with her.

“Maria said, ‘Mom, but he has a mask on.' I said, ‘I don’t care,’" said Jackie with a laugh. In reality she really could go for a sundae at that point.

“All I could think of was the hot fudge,” she said.

Grandmother of four, Jeanne Brown, also of West Brighton, said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea. The ice cream man/woman and his/her truck with giggle bells or happy calliope-style music conjures up all kinds of happy memories. But the situation we are currently in is not life as we know it.”

“Social distancing? Really? We are missing the boat!” an Advance reader, Grandpa Den, emailed from Titus Avenue in New Dorp on Monday afternoon.

“I’m perfectly content not putting trucks out. It costs me money. It was for moral support,” said Richie Holmes, owner of four trucks. The entrepreneur of Juicy Lucy restaurant fame employs drivers who roam Midland Beach, New Dorp Beach, Bay Terrace and West Brighton.

“I want to stress that all the drivers are adhering to strict CDC guidelines. They’re wearing gloves. They’re wearing masks. They change gloves after each cone is made and throw them out after serving each child. One hand touches the ice cream cone, the other the cash -- that’s how they’re trained,” said Holmes.

He said his Lickety Splits hit the roads on March 1, by tradition.

“These truck drivers are seasonal drivers. They’re hurting, too, with no social gatherings,” said Holmes. “They’re selling a cone here and a cone there. There are no schools open or large groups of people in the parks.”

Holmes’ trucks, in fact, are authorized for certain playgrounds and fields in the Borough of Parks.

An NYC Parks spokeswoman explained, “We have permitted an ice cream truck to operate at Midland Beach and Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex. Truck operators can begin operating on the date of their choice as there is no formal start date set by Parks.”

The spokeswoman further told the Advance on Tuesday, “As of today, permitted ice cream trucks are still authorized to operate in their assigned locations, however, many trucks on Staten Island have chosen to suspend operations at these sites. The health and safety of our park patrons, employees, and partners is top priority – we advise all concessionaires in operation to adhere to the directions and recommendations of the DOHMH (Department of Health and Mental Hygeine).”

She advised, “All New Yorkers should practice social distancing while out in parks, or waiting on line at a concession, by maintaining six feet of distance between each other. We will continue to remain vigilant in all of our parks to help ensure that park-goers are observing the rules and being safe.”

Each permit granted from Parks allows trucks to operate and park “at or adjacent to a specific park or beach," explained the Parks rep. “But business solicited outside of Parks property is not within our jurisdiction."

Holmes said, “I can take the trucks anywhere, any time of the year on Staten Island."

“All the trucks are all equipped with a GPS, running hot water and we do temperature checks of the ice cream,” said Holmes of regulations put in place by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and a requirement of Parks.

“We will get through this,” concludes Jeanne Brown. She assured, “And we will all binge on ice cream soon enough!”

Donn Lindsay of Westerleigh hasn’t hear the jingle bells yet this year but was all for it.

“The ice cream truck is a treat for kids and adults alike,” she said, adding, “If my grandson was here I would buy him ice cream from the truck.”

Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@sidadvance.com.