John Willoughby
reporter2@greenepublishing.com
When asked who Anthony Perry is, he stated he couldn't quite answer that question. However, he now knows he wants to be known simply as "the shaved ice guy" of Madison County.
You may have seen the small blue, red and yellow bus stroll the streets of the City of Madison. You might have noticed Perry park his bus at the corner of Meeting Avenue and Base Street, or around Lake Frances. And now, he's gaining a following with Kool Sweet Treats Shaved Ice.
Originally from Alachua County, Perry, a former mechanized infantryman of the United States Army in the late 70s, spent numerous years as an over-the-road company-owned truck driver, before starting his self-owned and operated Ben Perry Trucking, in 2008. After moving to New York and then to Clearwater, Fla., Perry and his wife, Lynell, began looking to move closer to Lynell's parents who live in the North Florida area. After viewing their current home on Super Bowl Sunday in 2019, the Perry's made the move.
After making the move out of the trucking industry, it was on Perry's mind to begin his shaved ice business, taken after his Atlanta relative, Trudy, who operates a brick-and-mortar shaved ice business, Nolan's Taste of NOLA (abbreviated for New Orleans). Brick-and-mortar wasn't one of Perry's options, though. "I said, 'you know what? I'll do that,’" he stated. "But I don't want to sit in a brick-and-mortar and wait on people to come to me. I need something that I need to move around with."
Just last month, Perry got his bus, procured all the necessary licenses and permits, and is now on the road, though he doesn't necessarily have a set schedule. "It was intended to maybe get the grandkids over during the summer and have fun with them … Now I'm in love with this bus. I don't know how long I'll do it," Perry added.
Perry has since made his move out in the community multiple times, and tracked down on occasion by interested individuals looking for a cool-down. With 18 different flavors, including strawberry, blue raspberry, pina colada and more, Perry said, "I've not had but one complaint, and I think they were just pulling my leg."
As the summer continues and grows hotter, be on the lookout for Perry on select days. To stay updated on where Perry may be on any given day, like the "Kool Sweet Treats" page on Facebook.