At long last, ice cream, right to your door

GOSHEN-Spring has turned the corner. Gone are the bitter winds and 50-degree afternoons. Summer is busting down the door to the theme of "It's a Small World," which plays from Barbara Roescher's ice cream truck as she makes her daily rounds. Roescher, who has lived in Goshen her whole life, has just launched a new business as the only ice cream truck in town. When the Soft Serve Express rumbles down the street, children flock to the big white truck like iron filings to a giant magnet. Barbara and her husband, Todd, bought an old postal truck last year and transformed it into the Soft Serve Express. They did all the work themselves, from scratch. "It's like the blind leading the blind," Roescher said about their utter unknowingness about ice cream and ice cream trucks. They weren't sure how committed they should be, considering the high price of both gas and dairy products these days. And they weren't sure how steady a job running an ice cream truck would prove to be. But the gamble has paid off. Two months into their first year, the truck received an overwhelmingly positive response, not only from the children, but from adults as well. "Adults like it just as much as the children because it brings back childhood memories," said Roescher. Still, she's doing it mainly for the kids. "I just love to see kids happy," she said. She's able to make a child's day simply by handing down a Spiderman Pop. But she said nothing compares to giving a baby his or her first taste of ice cream. Suddenly, Roescher has become one of the most important people in town. Parents constantly ask her to take pictures with their children. "I was even videotaped," she said. Her children, T.J and Raquel, love it too. Then again, what kids wouldn't love to have the only ice cream truck in town parked in their driveway? So if you're in Goshen and hear the strains of "It's a Small World" floating on the humid air, you'd better get outside quick because the people come running. Have a Sponge Bob Pop, or try one of the Razzles. Or play it safe with a soft-serve vanilla cone. No matter what you choose, you're sure to find yourself smiling. Roescher works from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. while school is still in session. She alternates between the Village of Goshen, the Town of Goshen, and Walkill throughout the week, making a run through each location every three days. Once school's out, her hours will extend from 1 p.m. to dusk, alternating all of Goshen and Walkill every other day.