COMMUNITY COMMENTARY:

Last week while sitting on the beach with my grandson watching the waves and enjoying his company, the truth be told, I was sharing our anticipation of enjoying some ice cream. Ice cream is, for me, a staple of parties and hot summer days. It is also the centerpiece of one of the Costa Mesa Senior Center’s important fundraisers — our weekends at the Orange County Marketplace, selling Bob’s Old Fashioned ice cream.

Because the Senior Center is fundraising at Bob’s, I interviewed Bob Teller to hear his recollection of why and how he started his business. Bob opened his first stand in Balboa Island in 1963, serving frozen bananas called Rolla-Rama. As he had no funds to invest in a freezer to keep the bananas frozen, he accepted an offer from the Excelsior Dairy Company to sell ice cream. It was a fortunate decision, since Excelsior supplied Bob with a freezer large enough for both products.

Bob bought ice cream in quart-sized bricks, which he then cut into eight slices. Each slice was put on a stick and dipped in chocolate. It didn’t take long to realize that the ice cream was more popular than the frozen bananas.

Bob started selling both frozen bananas and ice cream at fairs, eventually expanding his operation to shopping malls across the country. He opened 70 non-franchised stores, selling just the ice cream bars. Forty years later, as his leases began to expire, Bob had to say good-bye to his ice cream stands as landlords quadrupled his rent.

But the business of running an ice cream stand never left Bob, which is why he decided to open one at the Orange County Marketplace. His son, Jeff Teller, hatched a brilliant idea to get other organizations involved in the business. Most charities approach vendors every year for donations, and Jeff decided to get them involved directly. The charities would sell ice cream while raising money for their organizations.

The Costa Mesa Senior Center, along with then-Mayor Council Linda Dixon, was there for the ribbon cutting for the Tellers’ ice cream stand at the Orange County Marketplace. During the grand opening weekend, Senior Center volunteers worked at the stand and all the proceeds went to the Senior Center for its senior programs. Since July 2004 the Senior Center has participated every summer, having a lot of fun while raising the funds we need.

The Costa Mesa Senior Center will be at the ice cream stand today. Please come visit us and help to support our programs.

AVIVA GOELMAN is the director of the Costa Mesa Senior Center.