Locals dish on their favorite ice cream

The Sugar Shack in Newton was endorsed by the majority of readers who completed an informal survey recently.

As the summer got under way, 600 readers of various weekly newspapers published by Straus News throughout the tristate area cast votes for their favorite local ice cream shop.

Here are the results:

• 53 percent of readers who took the survey chose the Sugar Shack as the best local place to get ice cream. Maple creemee, made with the company’s maple syrup, was a fan favorite.

The Sugar Shack opened in 2019, when Kelly and Cody Castner decided to start their business in a little trailer. It serves many different soft-serve flavors.

“Our farm flavors are very sought after. I don’t think there are a lot of places with different flavors of soft serve,” said Kelly.

Other popular flavors range from honey to pumpkin to apple spice.

The soft serve is homemade and the process is a family secret.

• 9 percent prefer to travel to Cliff’s in Ledgewood for ice cream.

• 8 percent choose Fredon Dairy when looking for a frozen treat.

• 8 percent opt for Windy Brow Farms in Fredon. Multiple readers said seasonal flavors were their favorites to try there. One Andover resident loves Taylor ham and French toast, an addition to the menu this season.