Beat the Heat: Six Great Businesses to Enjoy National Ice Cream Day

Looking for some relief from the heat? You're in luck!

Today, according to the National Dairy Foods Association is National Ice Cream Day. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. 

According to the NDFA, the nation's ice cream industry generates more than $21 billion in annual sales and provides jobs for thousands of citizens. About 9 percent of all the milk produced by U.S. dairy farmers is used to produce ice cream, contributing significantly to the economic well-being of the nation's dairy industry.

Looking for a place to snag a scoop locally? Well, once again, you're in luck!

Here are just a few places around town to get some ice cream: 

1.  - 260 S. Weber Rd.

2.  - 751 E. Boughton Rd.

3.  - 250 N. Bolingbrook Dr.

4.  - 479 S. Weber Rd.

5.  - 433 W. Boughton Rd.

6.  - 1196 W. Boughton Rd.

And just so you know, here are a few ice cream facts you may or may not have known. 

• About 1.52 billion gallons of ice cream, including both hard and soft-serve, was produced in 2009, a decrease of 1.2 percent over 2008. Representing approximately 26.2 percent of the entire frozen dairy product market, low-fat and nonfat ice cream production decreased by 0.2 percent in 2009. Source: IDFA
• Based on ice cream consumption figures, the top five individual flavors in terms of share of segment in the United States are: vanilla (27.8%), chocolate (14.3%), strawberry (3.3%), chocolate chip (3.3%) and butter pecan (2.8%). Source: The NPD Group's National Eating Trends In-Home Database
• Ice cream and related frozen desserts are consumed by more than 90 percent of households in the United States. Source: Mintel

Where's your favorite place to enjoy ice cream?