With a competitive Pirates team slated to help lead off Major League Baseball\u2019s \u201cStar-Spangled Sunday\u201d slate of 15 games on NBC, an Oakland ice cream shop drew a good crowd on Friday with a home run promotion engineered by the network and the league.<\/p>\n
Along with 14 other ice cream shops in various cities, Dave & Andy\u2019s Homemade Ice Cream celebrated the occasion by dealing out 400 free ice-cold \u201cStar-Spangler Sundaes\u201d \u2014 inspired by the city\u2019s cookie table tradition wherein wedding guests contribute to a massive table of assorted sweets \u2014 on a meltingly hot Friday with temps reaching the upper nineties.<\/p>\n
Between baseball, the heat and the Fourth of July weekend, the parlor offered a simple pleasure that met the moment. Outside, an employee in a refrigerated food truck with the back opened up to the blistering heat had lamented that he \u201cdidn\u2019t want to leave the truck\u201d until he saw a pedestrian walk by with a stacked sundae.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to pay tribute to our Pittsburgh roots, so everything here is homemade,\u201d said owner Sarah Kasten. \u201cOur base ice cream on the sundae is a wedding cake flavor, white cake flavor with white cake pieces and strawberry preserves. It\u2019s topped with cookie pieces, which are chocolate chip, peanut butter, thumbprint and brownie with whipped cream, red- white and-blue sprinkles and a cherry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each was dolloped into a miniature upside-down baseball helmet.<\/p>\n
The dozens of guests on hand around noon included a bevy of breaking students, young UPMC professionals and several families. Each was invited to wear MLB baseball gear, including the Pirates\u2019 black and gold as the team recently notched its best record halfway through the season since 2015: the team enters Fourth of July weekend at .500.<\/p>\n
\u201dWe had a line out the door when we first opened,\u201d said Kasten. \u201cSo we\u2019re just really grateful and glad everyone got to come out today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reviews were positive.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing, everything about it,\u201d said Kevin Rudlinger of South Park, who was there with his wife and three girls. \u201cThe kids love it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really good,\u201d confirmed Hannah Pope. \u201cThe brownie was probably the best part.\u201d<\/p>\n
With plans on deck to hit up the parade on Saturday, he and his family\u2019s spirits about the Pirates\u2019 three-game away series against the Nationals Friday-Sunday were high.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love that they\u2019re playing good,\u201d said Rudlinger. \u201cThe pitching could be better, but the rotation is still good. The batting has been a lot better than I expected.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pair of friends in Point Park student Cooper Slocum and Pitt student Lindsey Krieger were catching up for the summer when they stumbled upon Dave and Andy\u2019s in the sweltering heat. Krieger was set to do an admirable tour of Fourth of July weekend festivities in Pittsburgh that included a Pirates game, the Noah Kahan concert and fireworks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on,\u201d said Slocum with a laugh. \u201cWe didn\u2019t even know this was happening and then were like \u2018Oh, free ice cream? Heck yeah!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe came as paying customers,\u201d laughed Krieger.<\/p>\n
They gave their Instagram-style review of the new special item.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe flag is super cute and the bowl it comes in,\u201d said Slocum as the pair reveled in the sweetness. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of flavors happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fully immersed in summer vibes, Krieger was simply looking forward to watching her team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really proud of them!\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The ice cream shop <\/a>on Atwood Street in Oakland opened in 1983 and features more than 200 flavors.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t