Velvet's Ye Olde Mill Set for May 1 Opening

Utica, Ohio (April 20, 2011) –Velvet Ice Cream's Ye Olde Mill Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor, a Midwest landmark and destination spot for more than four decades, will open May 1 for its 2011 season.

Children 10-years old and younger will receive a free kids cone on opening day.

Visitors to Ye Olde Mill during the month of May can enter a drawing to win free Velvet Ice Cream for a year.

“Once we close Ye Olde Mill at the end of October, we start preparing to open the next year," said Andre Dager, Velvet's vice president of guest relations. “The spring opening of the Mill is a tremendous event throughout Central Ohio. We can't wait for the doors to open again so that we can see many of our friends who have been returning for years."

Visitors can get a first-hand look at the ice cream factory from a viewing gallery, where they can watch Velvet's Certified Ice Creamologists create America's favorite treat. For those wanting to get up close and personal with the process, Velvet offers free factory tours weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Velvet's Ye Olde Mill anchors a 20-acre, park-like grounds that includes an historic, 1817 grist mill and water wheel; Ohio's only Ice Cream Museum; a visitor's center; gift shop; and playground.

Ye Olde Mill hosts free entertainment every weekend, including barbershop quartets, magic shows, singers and a dog show.

For more information, contact Velvet's Guest Relations office at 740.892.3921 or 800.589.5000.

Ye Olde Mill is located one mile south of Utica on State Rt. 13. As always, admission is free, so is parking, and tour busses are welcome.

Headquartered at Ye Olde' Mill in Utica, Ohio, Velvet Ice Cream has been a family owned and operated business for nearly 100 years. Founded in 1914 by family patriarch Joseph Dager, Velvet has been run by four generations of the Dager family. Each year, Velvet produces more than five million gallons of ice cream, which can be found in freezer cases throughout the Midwest and Florida. The historic Ye Olde' Mill, which houses the company headquarters, an ice cream museum and restaurant, attracts more than 150,000 visitors a year.

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CONTACT:
Robin Yocum
614.378.3286