I live in the city centre, and often hear an ice cream van nearby. Nothing too strange there, except that a) I normally hear it when it is dark and b) it is February - how much demand is there for ice cream vans?!
I thought that it was perhaps just that someone who lives near me owns an ice cream van and they were on their way home from work, but the more I think about it the stranger it seems!
My friend, who used to live in Crookes, says she used to hear an ice cream van at strange times too, and that someone told her it wasn't selling ice cream at all...
Anyone know the answer?!
I think my favourite theory is that it is a phantom ice cream van...

We get them here right up until the beginning of December I think I remember hearing the most regular one & it started again in the last week in Janurary.

I just assumed that people of Sheffield are well 'ard & can take their icecream all year round ;)

When we were in first year (many years ago), we also thought a late night ice cream van seemed very suspicious. maybe it's not an ice cream van, but a hat, scarf and gloves van distributing sensible winter clothing for the cold people of Sheffield.

so it's just me, reading into it?! I jsut thought it was odd, I mean, if it's dark and you are an ice-cream van driver and you are on your way home, I don't really see the point in having the music on. But I suppose ice cream vans have to go some where all winter. Maybe they migrate?!

Originally posted by Andy78
When we were in first year (many years ago), we also thought a late night ice cream van seemed very suspicious. maybe it's not an ice cream van, but a hat, scarf and gloves van distributing sensible winter clothing for the cold people of Sheffield.

awww, that's a lovely thought! I will try and think of that next time I hear it, my suspicious mind was thinking it was something altogether less innocent that was being distributed!

I live in Eckington and I hear one most evenings about 8:30.
I thought they couldn't sound their music after 8pm.

There is a van (or maybe several!) from the Proper Pasty Company that calls round most of the building sites in the area selling pasties to the building workers for their breakfasts. It uses an ice cream chime to call the workers to their pies!

I live in Riverside Exchange, and it calls in the morning to sell to the people building the new Irwin Mitchell offices and the new apartment block at Riverside Exchange.

Originally posted by MrHelicopter
There is a van (or maybe several!) from the Proper Pasty Company that calls round most of the building sites in the area selling pasties to the building workers for their breakfasts. It uses an ice cream chime to call the workers to their pies!

I live in Riverside Exchange, and it calls in the morning to sell to the people building the new Irwin Mitchell offices and the new apartment block at Riverside Exchange.

It used to come to the place I worked, and I finally worked out that the tune is supposed to be 'Food Glorious Food'. It is very loud though!

K x

Originally posted by beckyaa
I live in the city centre, and often hear an ice cream van nearby. Nothing too strange there, except that a) I normally hear it when it is dark and b) it is February - how much demand is there for ice cream vans?!
I thought that it was perhaps just that someone who lives near me owns an ice cream van and they were on their way home from work, but the more I think about it the stranger it seems!
My friend, who used to live in Crookes, says she used to hear an ice cream van at strange times too, and that someone told her it wasn't selling ice cream at all...
Anyone know the answer?!
I think my favourite theory is that it is a phantom ice cream van...

I often hear the "ice cream van" in the evening. Where in the city do you live? We live on Headford Gardens and it definitely sounds like a regular Mister Whippy to me!!!!

It'll be a projectional audio-auroratory mirage. We get them. It'll be from Australia, that's my bet. It's summer over there.

The way it works is this: the sounds are projected into the ionisphere and whipped up into a temporary orbit where they then fall back to earth as sounds once more.

We sometimes get the sounds of a Russian couple arguing in our back garden.

Originally posted by Sam Miguel
It'll be a projectional audio-auroratory mirage. We get them. It'll be from Australia, that's my bet. It's summer over there.

The way it works is this: the sounds are projected into the ionisphere and whipped up into a temporary orbit where they then fall back to earth as sounds once more.

We sometimes get the sounds of a Russian couple arguing in our back garden.

I just knew there must be a logical explanation for it!! Does this mean that it is not really my neighbour I can hear snoring through my living room wall, but someone in gooloogong?

Nicole, it must be the same one!! It's weird, it sounds like "teddy bears picnic" or something, but I have never, ever seen it! :suspect:

Could be worse,....could be the Crazy Frog!:gag:

live in the city centre, and often hear an ice cream van nearby. Nothing too strange there, except that a) I normally hear it when it is dark and b) it is February - how much demand is there for ice cream vans?!

Maybe it's an ice cream mouse, driving a tiny ice cream van, around a tiny mouse-city hidden away under your floorboards.

Or maybe you're just crazy.

Or maybe I'm just crazy. :loopy:

well ive known more than one `ice cream van' to be selling more than ice cream!

ciggerettes mostly (to mostly quite young kids buying)

but someone i work with told me that a van used to go outside his school and he sold fags and drugs.....until he got moved on by the school/police.

ice cream van can seem an innocent cover for some nasty shenanighans

The van without doubt will be selling drugs.
If you hear "Popeye" playing it means he only has crack for sale, if you hear "needles and pins" it means he only has heroin for sale. Why should he be scared to advertise his wares?
He knows he wont even get a slap on the wrist if he is caught(unless he eats an apple while driving his van)

The 'Food Glorious Food' tune is played by the Proper Pasty Company delivery van. It spins up to the front of our offices every Monday and Friday and blasts it out!

did you know ice cream vans actually do have to play the tune for so many seconds on moving/stopping - something to do with it getting the kids running out of the house with their pound coin and belting down the steet and across the road without getting knocked down. not totally sure but i've heard it's something to do with that. if it were selling drugs surely it would be playing another tune, Spaceman or something!

Oooh...1st post! :-)

Up in Sunderland there's an ice cream van that tours the estates selling, er, "duty free" fags and booze. Could be the same. Doubt it'd be drugs - a bit blatant for even the most drug-addled waster to risk I'd have thought!

The ice cream vans have started to do thier rounds up here at crookes again, although the latest I have heard them is 7.30pm this week. Really annoying when you have just got the baby off to sleep and they come and blast the tune out for a few minutes outside the bedroom window :rant:

Rather than start a new thread, i'll add to this rather old one!

We are in S4 and just noticed the ice cream van jangling its tune through the vales. Seems a little odd for 7pm pitch darkness on a cold february and we were wondering whether it was ... dun dun durrrr... "Something Else"...

If it was 'somthing else' dont you think it would a been caught by now?