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 The shop is owned by Lisa Mestinsek with her
husband Jon and their three children Lillian, Burke and Reilly. They
also have the support of several staff members including their
manager Julie Tanner along with Emily Martinez, Casey Bennett,
Abigail Fitzpatrick, and enjoying her first day on Tuesday, Kenna
Erikson. Before the cut, inside the building
the excitement was high as the family and staff prepared for what
was coming.
One of the fun parts of the pre-cut commotion was the
laughter at the time Julie and Lillian were making little ice cream
cones. Lisa said she had ordered 250 of the thumb-sized cones and
the girls would be filling them with vanilla or chocolate ice cream
so that guests who haven't tried their products yet could have a
taste.
When the family and staff moved outside a few minutes before tour,
they were certainly delighted by the number of people who had come
for their cut. Among those present were
Representative Tim Butler, Lincoln College President Dr. David
Gerlach, Logan County Fair Royalty Kylee Fulk and Julia Collins,
many representatives from the city of Lincoln, as well as county
staff. John Guzzardo and others from the Guzzardo family were on
hand and many friends and family as well as already "loyal'
customers.
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The group represented every age with a dozen or more
children there along with parents, grandparents and more.
Lisa said “We have been really taken back by the
support of the community, and all the love and understanding when
we're trying to get things right. It has definitely been a learning
curve for all of us.” The Guzzardos, the Roates, the Hangers (Guzzardo's
Restaurant and Spirited Republic) have been a huge support and we
wouldn't have gotten through the last few weeks without them. We are
so happy to be here and we are so happy to be a part of downtown
Lincoln. We hope that we can grow and be a part of the community for
a very long time."
Located just across from the garden at Guzzardos, when
Representative Butler was asked if he would like to say a few words,
his first comment was "ice cream, pizza, beer." The crowd seemed to
understand and agree that the food and refreshment selection within
those few feet were perfect.
Lincoln Mayor Seth Goodman also spoke saying congratulations and
noting that Top Hat has been all over social media. He ended with
"best of luck, but I don't think you need it."
With the speakers finished, it was time to snip the ribbon. With Jon
and Burke looking on from behind, Lisa, Reilly and Lillian did the
honors with cheers and applause as they finished.
Everyone was then invited to come inside for a free ice cream sample
in the little cones. However, many opted to go for something a
little bigger, and came out with cones filled and overflowing with
one or more of the sixteen varieties offered, or grabbing a shake,
sundae or malt.
The Top Hat Creamer is open Tuesday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 10
p.m. On Saturday and Sunday the shop opens at noon and closes at 10
p.m. The shop is closed on Monday's.
[Nila Smith] |
