July is National Ice Cream Month and MORE!

July is known for a lot of things. Independence Day. Your family’s annual trip to the beach. Outdoor concerts. But it’s also National Ice Cream Month. And National Hot Dog Month. And National Hemp Month. And National Independent Retailer Month. So many things to celebrate this month! Don’t worry, we have a roundup of Waynesboro-area stores you can support all month long.

National Ice Cream Month

July posts some of the hottest days of the year, so it’s a perfect time to chill out with a scoop or two of your favorite. It’s pretty easy to make and store ice cream with modern refrigeration, but did you know that people have been enjoying frozen treats (often made with ice or snow) since ancient Rome? And good old George Washington had such a soft spot for it, too, it’s rumored that he spent $200 on it in the summer of 1790. Adjusted for inflation, that’s close to $6,000 dollars. That’s probably how he ended up with wooden teeth! Here’s where you can get fresh ice cream in Waynesboro.

Kline's Dairy Bar makes a super creamy custard-style ice cream with a slow process called continuous freeze that limits the amount of air mixed in with the product. Kline’s serves vanilla, chocolate, and a weekly special flavor or two, which can be enjoyed in cones, cups, shakes, and sundaes. Keep a flavor card in the car and stop in when you see one of your favorites like cake batter or raspberry. Kline’s is a local chain with locations in Waynesboro, Harrisonburg, Staunton, and McGaheysville. If you’re from the area, chances are that your family’s been coming here for generations, ever since the first location opened in 1943. Your four-legged family members will love it too, since Kline’s serves up delightful “pup cups” for an extra special treat.

Family owned Willy's Ice Cream has been a Waynesboro ice cream hot spot since 1995. Their award-winning soft serve comes in vanilla, chocolate, twists, and Willy’s features a special flavor each week. Worried about lactose? You can also get a dairy-free, fruit-flavored selection. Willy’s ice cream can be made into shakes, floats, sundaes, “wizards,” and kiddie desserts. Willy’s makes specialty desserts like the cinnamon bun, which is vanilla ice cream topped with delicious cinnamon sauce and a cherry. This small shop is conveniently located along Main Street and Lew Dewitt and there are picnic tables and plenty of parking. Milkshake lovers can take advantage of the Willy’s punch card to work toward a free shake.

Dap’s Ice Cream doesn’t make its own ice cream from scratch, but it serves up over 40 flavors of fresh Hershey’s Ice Cream. You can order from four different sizes of cone or cup, or have them create a sundae with your favorite flavors and toppings like chocolate sprinkles and wet walnuts. Craving a milkshake or a banana split? Dap’s has those, too.

National Hot Dog Month

National Hot Dog Month has been around since 1956, as if we needed encouragement to gorge on these meaty, bready, mustardy American classics! While you can easily commemorate it by firing up the grill at home, Waynesboro also boasts a Sam’s Hot Dog Stand. Here you can get a delicious dog prepared by someone else at a place that specializes in them. The restaurant is tiny, squeezed between other buildings on Main Street, and it’s easy to overlook. But what Sam’s misses in visibility, it makes up for with taste. Sam’s offers 100% all-beef hotdogs served on fresh, steamed buns. Top your dogs with spicy chili, onions, mustard, and more. Your meal won’t be complete without an order of gooey cheesy fries, baked beans, onion rings, or coleslaw made from scratch each day.

National Hemp Month

July is also a special month for hemp, so we need to celebrate our very own Shenandoah Hemp Supply, located in downtown Waynesboro. This store provides locally farmed, eco-friendly hemp and CBD products to bring you natural relaxation and pain relief. Select from topical lotions and CBD oils to tasty CBD edibles like brownies, whoopie pies, popcorn, and chocolate bars. Buy some pet treats or even spoil the wild birds with hemp-seed suet cakes. Celebrate hemp’s usefulness by buying bags, masks and more made with hemp fabric. Healthy Habits also supplies hemp and CBD products, among a variety of other supplements, vitamins, and products. La Sunflower, an online retailer based in Waynesboro, offers a special line of CBD products to ease your body and mind.

National Independent Retailer Month

The month of July is even a celebration of independent retailers, which are critical to the culture and economy of our local community. Don’t limit yourself to July -- visit them every month, especially since they offer unique, high-quality, often local goods. In addition to an eclectic mix of local retailers downtown, there are more shops throughout Waynesboro. Stop in and show your appreciation soon at stores like the Faded Poppy Mercantile, which has a variety of small batch, high quality goods and a fresh flower bar where you can choose from beautiful flowers to create unique arrangements for loved ones (or yourself!). Family-owned It’s a Country Thing will brighten your day with friendly service and a wonderful selection of country primitive home decor, such as seasonal flags, baskets, artwork, and more. Visit Wild & Free for a relaxing spa service or shop their homemade, eco-friendly, and sustainable skincare products. There are so many locally-owned places to get your shop on in Waynesboro.