When 11-year-old Frank Epperson created the Epsicle in 1905, he could’ve never anticipated that his invention would spawn a holiday to commemorate it for years to come. But that’s what National Creamsicle Day does on August 14 every year, sort of.

Technically, his original creation involved a soda that froze to a stick overnight, leading him to start his own business and experiment with fruit-flavored variants as well. He later sold his company, called Popsicle, to Unilever, who expanded the concept to create the Creamsicle (ice cream pop covered in flavored ice) and Fudgsicle (chocolate-flavored pop).

Fun fact: the official term for what most would call a “popsicle” is actually “ice pop.” Popsicle, Creamsicle and Fudgsicle are all brandnames. This phenomenon of a brand being used as the general term for a product is commonly encountered with the likes of tissues (Kleenex), adhesive bandages (Band-Aid) and shapewear (Spanx).

Right now on the East End, you can nearly hear the sun sizzling, beating down on locals and tourists alike. You can smell the heat, or maybe that’s just the smell of sunscreen. Either way, you can beat the heat with Dan’s Best of the Best Ice Cream in the Hamptons and on the North Fork. Grab an ice pop, Creamsicle or ice cream cone and enjoy!

Find more of the East End’s best businesses and personalities at DansBOTB.com.

HAMPTONS

Platinum
Shock Ice Cream
99 Main Street, Westhampton Beach
631-288-2522, facebook.com/shockicecream

Gold
Carvel
73 East Montauk Highway, Hampton Bays
631-728-8145, carvel.com/ny/hampton-bays

Silver
Bay Burger
1742 Sag Harbor Turnpike, Sag Harbor
631-899-3915, bayburger.com

Bronze
Big Olaf
8 Wharf Street, Sag Harbor
631-725-7505

NORTH FORK

Platinum
Magic Fountain
9825 Main Road, Mattituck
631-298-4908, magicfountainlongisland.com

Gold
Snowflake
1148 West Main Street, Riverhead
631-727-4394, snowflakeicecream.com

Silver
63 South Chill Street
Available at Greenport Farmers Market, 216 Front Street, Greenport
631-766-4064, 63southchillstreet.com

Bronze (tie)
Yogurt Expressions
13175 Main Road, Mattituck
631-298-7954, yogurtexpressions.com

Bronze (tie)
Dari-land Ice Cream
51 Main Road, Riverhead
631-727-0220, dari-land.hub.biz