By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Dennis and Margarita Schleder don't sell ice cream, they sell smiles.
The Catharine couple have brought back the ice cream truck to Hays and surrounding communities.
The sing-song music of the ice cream truck brings kids running or pedaling bikes, just as they did when Margarita was a kid growing up in San Antonio.
"So many little kids have not seen it unless it is on a cartoon," Dennis said. "Of course, a lot of the adults haven't seen one in 30 years. I think some of the adults are more excited than the kids. It brings back memories, they say."
"Chasing [the ice cream truck] down, that was one of my favorite things," Margarita said. "It is exciting to have your little change and listen for the ice cream truck and, if you don't see it, you have to chase it down.
"With all my brothers and sisters, we would be running after it."
Margarita said she enjoys seeing the smiles on children's faces.
"It's so cute," she said. "You see them all excited, dancing and excited about their ice cream. Then you see all the older people excited too since they haven't seen one since they were small."
Mijom's carries some classic ice cream treats, including Bomb Pops, Drumsticks and ice cream sandwiches, as well as treats with a new twists such as Ninja Turtles, Mickey Mouse or Minions-themed desserts.
The Schleders said they are trying to keep their prices low — $1.50 to $2.75 per treat — despite urgings from their distributors to charge higher prices.
The Schleders dreamed of owning an ice cream truck, but thought they would take on the project in their retirement. Margarita, who had worked in family services in San Antonio, was having difficulty finding work, a situation made worse by the COVID-19 outbreak.
"After six years of being home with the babies," she said, "I wanted to go out and find something to do."
Dennis' work in insulation has also been slow since the outbreak.
"We asked ourselves, 'Why wait? Why not now?' " Dennis said.
The couple dubbed the ice cream truck Mijom's Ice Cream Xpress after Margarita's children's nickname for their mother. She said the kids — 4, 5 and 10 — were excited about their parents' project and now call themselves the "ice cream kids."
Margarita said she thinks the communities have been appreciative of their business. She said she wanted to thank customers for their support. In this time of COVID-19, she said the ice cream truck is a positive.
"Ice cream makes everything better," she said.
The couple originally intended to keep the truck in Hays. It takes the couple about three days to hit all the neighborhoods in the city. However, the truck has been so popular, they have branched out to surrounding communities, including Ransom, Ness City and Ellis. They have also visited some area lakes including Webster and Cedar Bluffs.
"With the coronavirus, everybody has been stuck at home. We figured we wanted to bring cheer to everybody, not just Hays," Margarita said. "We try to spread ourselves to give a little bit of cheer here and a little bit of cheer there. We believe everyone deserves to be a little bit happy in these times when all this bad stuff is happening."
The couple is considering adding a second truck next summer with one truck focusing on Hays and another on the surrounding communities.
They also plan to have the truck at some local events, including the Ellis County Fair and the Bunker Hill Mud Run.
You can follow Mijom's Ice Cream Xpress on Facebook. They regularly post on social media where the truck will be in coming days.