SUPERMAN ICE CREAM

I was driving by downtown Farmington and decided to check out BROWN DOG, a craft ice cream parlor which only utilizes Michigan dairy with scratch made mix-ins, that has been getting some nice word of mouth around Metro Detroit. Most specifically though, I was looking to taste test their Superman ice cream, or as they call it instead, for DC Comics copyright reasons, SUPERDOG ice cream.

Superman ice cream was my favorite ice cream as a kid. I have this incredible memory of the first time I tasted it! A bunch of neighborhood kids piled into my best friend's dad's station wagon to go see SUPERMAN at the local drive-in movie theater. Going to see Christopher Reeve's as Superman flying around on a movie screen from the back of a car with a whole group of friends was an epic summer night. It was made even better as we stopped to get Superman ice cream on the way there.

I was wowed by Superman ice cream. Up until then I had only had chocolate, strawberry or vanilla flavored ice cream. Now before me was this mix of bright colors and various flavors. This ice cream really was super!

The Superman ice cream was colored red, yellow and blue matching the coloring style of the superhero. Plus, each color had a different flavor. Blue had a bubble gum taste to it, Red had a red pop flavor, and Yellow was lemon. Eating the three together was a unique experience and was so good! 

Superman ice cream originated here in Detroit during Prohibition when Stroh's Brewery stopped making beer and switched its production over to ice cream. When alcohol became legal again the breweries reopened opening the taps back on for Stroh's beer but the company kept making ice cream too. We had an ice cream parlor near our house that served Stroh's and I'd regularly stop in to get a scoop, or two, in a waffle cone throughout my youth.

Then in 1999, Stroh's shutdown its Detroit operations. The brewery was sold to Pabst and the ice cream company to Melody Farms. Dean Foods has owned the Stroh's ice cream brand since 2007. The new owners of Stroh's ice cream kept the packaging but produced the ice cream with their own pre-existing recipes from factories out-of-state shipping it to Michigan. To me, what Dean Foods now calls Super Rainbow tastes like vanilla with red, white and yellow food coloring. Doah!

So, I've been on a search to find a Superman ice cream that matches the flavor that I loved as a kid. The Hudsonville, Purple Cow and Kroger brands in our local grocery stores have Superman inspired flavors that have a marshmallowish Blue Moon, cherry and vanilla mix with the original look of the ice cream to them. That just doesn't cut it! And Blue Bunny's Scooper Hero is the worst with a blah vanilla flavor for all three colors of ice cream.

So, now it is time to give BROWN DOG's craft ice cream a taste test. Will SUPERDOG meet or exceed my expectations?! I hope so because at $8.00 a pint of this ice cream is pricey.

With three distinct flavors for each color, BROWN DOG is already out doing many of the Superman ice cream wannabes out there. Blue is Blue Moon; Red is tart Cherry; Yellow is zesty Lemon. The coloring blends together for a nice presentation, but how does the mix of flavors compare to my childhood favorite ice cream flavor?

The Blue Moon of SUPERDOG has more of a marshmallow flavor than the original bubblegum taste to the Superman ice cream I loved as a kid. The cherry has a nice tartness to it but is different than the red soda vibe of the original. The lemon though is spot on. Unfortunately, the Blue Moon flavor overpowers the cherry and lemon rather than complimenting them. 

BROWN DOG'S SUPERDOG has a decent taste to it but at what it costs for a scoop or pint just isn't what I'm looking for. If you are looking for an original Superman flavored ice cream this isn't it. That being said it was good enough that I am interested in trying out some of the other offerings from BROWN DOG on their ice cream menu. They have some FAYGO flavored ice cream that looks very tempting to try and some alcohol-infused Irish Cream ice cream has piqued my interest.

For more information about this ice cream parlor and restaurant go to browndogbarlor.com. They have Michigan locations in the cities of Farmington and Novi. Stop by and eat in or order online and take out.

And my search goes on for a Superman ice cream that meets my high, and possibly improbable to find, expectations. Is there a flavor of Superman you have discovered that is fantastic? Share it with us!

ZAP ZONE WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT

A Geek Daddy was invited by Zap Zone to put together a team to participate in a World Record attempt that involved playing laser tag. I couldn't turn that down! So my kids and I along with one of their best friends and her dad headed over to the Canton location of Zap Zone to do a shift in their bid to be recognized by Guinness World Records for hosting the longest laser tag marathon.

Originally starting off as a place to play video games, Zap Zone has expanded its attractions and locations over the last twenty-five years. Now the family entertainment venue in addition to being an arcade also offers bumper cars, bowling, glo-golf, go-karts, ninja obstacle courses, roller skating, trampolines, virtual reality zones and of course laser tag. There are currently 9 Zap Zones in Michigan with 5 in Metro Detroit (Canton, Farmington, Sterling Heights, Taylor and Waterford) as well as locations in Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Brighton, and Lansing.

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Zap Zone is trying to achieve two Guinness World Records involving laser tag:

LONGEST LASER TAG MARATHON

First, the one we were invited participate in was to break the current record for the longest laser tag marathon.  This has two pre-selected teams constantly playing for the duration of the world record attempt with a third team being added from time to time into the mix to keep things interesting for the core group of players. Looking like the Ghostbusters with our laser phasers and target vests, we took on the role of the third team for a portion of this laser tag marathon.

The current record for continuously playing laser tag is 25 hours which was set in 2017 by Q-Zar Codevilla (Pavia, Italy). So that is the mark Zap Zone has to beat!  The two primary teams are planning on playing consecutively for 26 hours to achieve the world record … and if they have enough endurance may play even longer to make their accomplishment harder to beat.

This dad blogger's team had a blast jumping into the action. We had a lot of fun playing laser tag and it was made even more exciting knowing we were part of trying to achieve the Guinness World Record for longest laser tag marathon. Did we set the record? Well as I am writing this they still have another twenty hours left to play but from our interaction with the players it seems as if they won't have a problem setting it. The nice part of our role was that we got to play for a little while then go home.

MOST LASER TAG GAME PARTICIPANTS IN A SINGLE DAY

Also coming up on August 25, 2019, Zap Zone is attempting to break Guinness World Record #2 for the most people playing in an ongoing laser tag match in a single day. The record is currently 250 people.  Zap Zone is hoping to burst that with a 1,000 or more participants playing laser tag from 10 am to 10 pm at their Farmington location.

Anyone who stops in during that time can play a 10-minute match for FREE to be part of the world record attempt. You will also receive a commemorative lanyard to mark the moment you participated in a Guinness World Record attempt. Stop by and join in!

EVERYONE PLAYS FOR FREE

If you aren't able to participate the Guinness World Record attempts there is still laser tag fun to be had at Zap Zones this weekend. As part of Zap Zone's twenty-fifth anniversary celebration, on Sunday, August 25 it will be FREE to play laser tag at ALL of the Zap Zone locations. Each of the Zap Zone locations, including the Farmington world record attempt, will be running the laser tag arena in a tournament format.

Players will be grouped into 2 teams of 10 players for each match. A team stays in the laser tag arena until they are defeated. If you are good enough you could compete in 10 matches in a row, maybe 100 or even keep playing all day long if no one defeats your team. You can come with 10 of your friends to all be on the same team or if alone be randomly placed on a team. Zap Zone wants everyone who comes out to have a chance to have fun playing a free match of laser tag on August 25. Come on out and have a good time!

For more information or directions go to zap-zone.com

Goldfish Swim School Theme of the Month -- December is Winter Wonderland

 ** A Geek Daddy is a brand ambassador for Goldfish Swim School**

When you think of swimming trips to the beach, outdoor pool parties and visits to water parks during the summer normally are what first come to mind.  For our family though as the snow starts to fall that is our ideal time to have the kids jumping into the water.  We regularly have our children enrolled in swimming programs throughout the cold weather months here in Michigan and this winter they are taking lessons at Goldfish Swim School.  So while the temperature may be 9 degrees outside, they'll be enjoying swimming in the shiver-free indoor pool at Goldfish Swim School that is always heated to 90 degrees.

Swimming during the winter is a fun activity to help keep kids exercising and healthy when temperatures may prohibit them from getting outside to play.  It also reinforces water safety skills so that when the weather heats up your child is prepared to safely enjoy swimming at a beach or pool.  Plus swimming throughout the year just overall makes a child a stronger swimmer making them confident and comfortable in and around water.  Goldfish offers programs for children from 4 months to 12 years old of all skill levels.  They offer infant sessions to get children comfortable with being in the water, swimming lessons for both beginners and kids who want to improve upon their abilities, plus a team program that helps experienced young swimmers who have mastered their lessons develop racing skills and participate in some friendly competition.

To help make lessons a bit more fun, Goldfish Swim School also has a special theme they promote each month with decorations around the facility, activities such as coloring contests, and special giveaway items they hand out each week to children after they've completed their lesson.  December's theme is Winter Wonderland.  A very fitting one with both the holiday season and the nearly foot of snow that has fallen on the ground here in Metro Detroit.  My kids received a small maze game as their themed prize of the week after their most recent lesson for example. In addition to Winter Wonderland some of the other themes in 2016 were Olympics to tie-in to July's Summer Games, Farming in September, and Outer Space in November.  Having a different theme each month is just one of the many ways Goldfish Swim School differentiates itself as an ideal location that truly caters to providing a great experience for families who bring children to go swimming there.

For more information, please visit goldfishswimschool.com

A Geek Daddy is a brand ambassador for Gold Fish Swim Schools receiving complimentary lessons and services for his children in exchange for promotional consideration by the blog.  Opinions expressed are honest and my own.