From Sunday to Sundae

The Rev. Kristi Shay Moore is a young Presbyterian Minister back East. She has been in the pulpit, perhaps some ten or twelve years. A couple of weeks back she stood in the pulpit and did a fine sermon on “Extreme Church Makeover.”
As you might expect she used illustrative stories from some of the current happenings in our society including a TV show or two. Space does not allow me to talk about her entire sermon but I would like to tell you one of her stories.
This history lesson explains a little about the makeover (perhaps extreme) of our society in the past several years.
Go back some fifty, sixty or so years, to the days of my youth, and one would find the local ice cream confectionary a standard on almost any main street in villages, towns and cities across the land. Many associated with drug stores. Rev. Moore brought back some good memories.
She told of a businessman from Wisconsin named Smithson who was the owner-manager of such a store. It was popular amongst the town folk.
On warm afternoons these folks headed for Smithson’s confectionary and ordered these cool, flavored desserts. They would sit at a table eating ice cream and having friendly discussions with their neighbors.
Many times Smithson found he was particularly busy on Sunday afternoons. That, he found, was a problem! Huh! How could being busy on a Sunday afternoon be a problem you ask?

Smilingly the Pastor explained it this way. One does not go back far until our society was much changed from what we see today. Little was open on Sundays back then and deliveries of ice cream? Never! Smithson found himself frequently running out of ice cream when business was still good. Refrigeration being what it was then, ordering more on Saturday was not the answer.
The enterprising owner had a stroke of genius. On these hot Sunday afternoons he began stretching the ice cream he had available by adding toppings—hot fudge, strawberry, cherry, and a variety of other flavors. The ice cream went further and his additions were popular. You guessed it; he began calling his new concoction a Sunday. Everyone was happy!
Well, not quite, some of the religious folk of the day were upset Smithson was taking the name of the Sabbath Day and turning it into an ice cream treat. Not to be outdone, our neighborhood businessman merely changed the name from Sunday to Sundae. Now you have it.
And the treat grew and grew until now we enjoy these hot fudge, strawberry, cherry, etc. ice cream treats every day of the week. More power to Smithson. I love a Sundae!!
Such are the people, places and things that have touched my life in my West Virginia home!