Ryan Upsdell of Kelowna aboard the Purple Penguin on Okanagan Lake.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Ryan Upsdell
July 20, 2024 - 3:30 PM
Ryan Upsdell is the captain of Kelowna’s first ice cream boat called the Purple Penguin.
He and his wife Reann recently started selling ice cream on Okanagan Lake after getting the idea while on vacation in a small town that had an ice cream boat.
“I figured Kelowna's very tourist-friendly,” he said. “As far as I'm aware, we're the first ice cream boat.”
Upsdell said there's been a lot of interest from boaters, paddle boarders and even people parasailing on the lake.
“Miss Universe Canada chased us down from one end of the lake to the other on a jet ski. We've had Okanagan Parasail pull us over and have some ice cream with them and some of their clients. Everyone's really excited and happy to see it,” he said.
The Purple Penguin has a permit to sell anything prepackaged that you would find at a regular ice cream truck.
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Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Ryan Upsdell
“Oreo ice cream sandwiches, drumsticks, popsicles, freezies,” he said. “A lot of pontoon boats have tiny barbecues on the back. Maybe we’ll bring in some propane. We're open to ideas from customers, too.”
Upsdell is out on the water almost every day from roughly 11 a.m. until sundown, so ice cream lovers just need to keep their eyes peeled.
“If you see us on the lake, just big double arm waves. We get a lot of really excited kids and it's hard to pull over for every one. We don't want to pressure the adults too much,” he said.
When he isn't slinging ice cream on Okanagan Lake, Upsdell in an on-call firefighter with the Ellison Fire Hall, works a handyman and does other odd jobs.
The heat wave has been good for the ice cream business, and he says they plan to run the Purple Penguin for the rest of the summer and next summer.
Click here for the Purple Penguin's social media page.
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