Loco Pops
By Wil Weldon

There’s a new craze that’s sweeping across Durham and beyond. People all over town have been spotted with different colored objects on a stick, licking them and smiling as they go. This new fad is called Loco Pops, a little store that sells ice cream on a stick.

One customer was overheard saying to friends, about an unidentified flavor, “It’s right on up there with grapefruit basil, my favorite Loco Pops flavor, it’s really an ingenious flavor. Have you had grapefruit basil?”

“The shop itself has taken on a life of its own and it really belongs to Durham, not so much to any one person, which is a great thing.”

Summer Bicknell started Loco Pops after getting tired of an office job in Nashville Tennessee. One day, she tasted paletas, Mexican fruity ice pops, and told a friend that she could make them too.

“Literally three months to the day after that, I was crossing the border, going to Mexico, having quit my job, sold my house, packed my dogs up, what few worldly possessions I felt could survive the trip, and drove down there to find someone to teach me,” Bicknell explained.

Now, after only one year, folks in Durham are… dare we say it?… Crazy for Loco Pops.

“It’s exciting. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and think , oh, you know, what a great flavor that would be. It’s just a lot of fun, it’s very inspirational,” said Connie Semans, who joined Bicknell after she, too, was tired of her job.

They both love mixing and creating flavors, which come from around the world, not just Mexico. And many flavors begin as suggestions from members of the community.

As much of Durham has discovered, it's really hard to beat Loco Pops on a hot summer afternoon. My personal favorite flavor is Strawberry balsamic... it's wonderfully unique.

Some of the favorite flavors of people in the store were: Hibiscus, Mojito, Cookies and Cream, Olive Oil and Cream (which, apparently, is muy bueno), Very Berry, Watermelon and Peach, and Nana Nilla.

For now, Loco Pops are local, only in Durham, but word is spreading fast. A woman sitting near the door said, “We live in Washington, DC, so we came all the way here for these.”

It’s crazy! It’s hot and that means it’s time for another Loco Pop!