ITHACA, N.Y. — A little bit of history and a whole lot of hot fudge will be served up in downtown Ithaca this weekend as part of the second annual Sundae Showdown, a community fundraiser benefiting The History Center in Tompkins County.
From 1 to 4 p.m. on April 19 at the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center, residents can grab a spoon and dig in to sample 10 finalist sundae recipes and cast their votes to crown the 2026 Sundae Showdown Champion.
Community members can purchase a $20 Ice Cream Passport to participate in all of the tasting festivities, and the cherry on top is that proceeds will go towards supporting local history.
Proceeds benefit the History Center’s public programming, research library, exhibit hall, and archives which include historical records the center says prove that Ithaca is the birthplace of the sundae.
That claim, however, comes with a sprinkle or two of controversy, as Two Rivers, Wisconsin has also long asserted it is where the dessert was invented.
But according to the History Center, the sundae was first created in 1892 by Chester Platt at Platt & Colt’s drug store and soda fountain operated at the address now known as 216 E. State St. in Ithaca, which currently houses the Taste of Thai restaurant.
The finalist recipes will be original creations submitted by individuals, businesses, and ice cream professionals nationwide.
At the 2025 inaugural event, over 450 attendees turned out to see Sweet Melissa’s Ice Cream crowned the inaugural Sundae Champion.
Sweet Melissa’s took home the trophy with vanilla and house-made browned butter and browned sugar ice cream with a warmed brownie, honey roasted pecans, whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry, all drizzled with hot fudge and caramel sauce. This year’s contenders look to dethrone the reigning champ, but the path to victory could be a rocky road.
For the full scoop on the event, and to purchase tickets head to sundaeshowdown.com.
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