Come to taste top five in Union’s ice cream contest

Grab a spoon, prepare to say “mmmmmm” and head to the Memorial Union Terrace (Trophy Room, if it rains) to cast your vote in the 75th Anniversary Ice Cream Jubilee. The Memorial Union will host an “Ice Cream Top 5 Tasting” on Friday, Sept. 5, from 4-7 p.m. Discerning judges of sweet concoctions can sample the five finalist flavors selected from more than 1,100 submissions and vote for their favorite. The winner will become a commemorative Babcock ice cream flavor in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Memorial Union, available during the anniversary year.

The top five flavors are:

• Terrace Chairy: Cherry flavor with cherry chunks, submitted by Shu-Chi Liang, Madison
• Union Utopia: Vanilla with a ribbon of peanut butter, fudge and caramel, submitted by Kim Lintner, Madison
• Rathskeller Razzleberry: Coffee ice cream with raspberries and dark chocolate chunks, submitted by Megan Wiseman, New Berlin
• Never Terrace Apart: A blend of chocolate, vanilla bean, malted milk and chopped peanuts, submitted by Brian Potter, Madison
• Der Banana Splitskeller: Vanilla with banana pieces, chocolate chunks, cherries, pecans and a fudge swirl, submitted by Susan Hegedus, Oshkosh

“It was a thrill to see entries come in from as far away as Ohio, Texas, Virginia, Montana, Colorado and New Jersey, and to know that people who might not be able to come to the Union during our anniversary year were still able to participate in the celebration,” says Maggie Baum, Wisconsin Union membership director, who is coordinating the contest.

For those who cannot attend the tasting, visit http://www.union.wisc.edu/75. Click on “Ice Cream Jubilee” for ice cream descriptions and cast a vote. Some 850 votes have been cast online so far.

The winner will be announced at the official 75th anniversary kickoff on Sunday, Oct. 5, at the Memorial Union. A series of special events will run through June 2004.