Ducky’s New Orleans Snowballs & Ice Cream
A Sweet Family Gathering Place

By Matt Bayman
TROY -  When brothers Donald and Dennis Butler opened Ducky’s Snowballs & Ice Cream in Troy in 2015, they imagined their clientele would be mothers and children walking down the street, or possibly other people that happened to drive by the business on a hot day.    

 

   However, they quickly learned that their actual target market was grandparents, who in turn brought their families to the ice cream shop.    

 

   “They like to eat ice cream in the day and then return with their families at night,” Donald Butler said of these customers. “Families are coming back together at a small town ice cream shop. It’s nice to see.”    

 

   Along with being family oriented, Ducky’s prides itself on its large portions (people have actually complained about the sizes being too large) and its customer service, which includes a friendly, smiling staff that always takes time to say “hello” to every customer that walks in the door.    

 

   “We would not be where we are without our staff,” Donald said. “They’re fantastic.”    

 

   Ducky’s offers 16 different flavors of hand-dipped Hershey ice cream, with a revolving list of new flavors added throughout the season.

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   They also have soft serve ice cream and more than 40 different flavors of New Orleans- style snowballs and stuffed snowballs.    

 

   Donald and Dennis are originally from Louisiana and, through Ducky’s, brought one of their favorite childhood treats to Troy.  

 

   A snowball is a mound of fluffy shaved ice that’s made with a special machine and mixed with flavored syrups and often stuffed with a variety of mix-ins and add-ons. A stuffed snowball at Ducky’s mixes the syrup drink with ice cream. Popular flavors include the Carmel Apple Delight, Chocolate Covered Strawberry and Dreamsicle, which is the most popular stuffed snowball flavor on the menu.    

 

   Another unique treat is Ducky’s take on the ice cream sandwich, called a Quackwich. It’s a hot Jim’s Donut cut in half and stuffed with ice cream and finished with powered sugar and sauce. It was recently voted the No. 1 ice cream sandwich in the Miami Valley!    

 

   In June, the ice cream shop adds another Jim’s Donut treat to the menu, the Strawberry Donut Sundae, which pays homage to the community of Troy and its annual Strawberry Festival. Donald said Jim’s Donuts creates the strawberry donuts specifically for Ducky’s and that the item will remain on the menu throughout the season.    

 

   Rounding out the menu are milkshakes, banana splits, sundaes and Bayou Blasts. This all means there’s something for ever one at Ducky’s. 

 

   Along with a variety of flavorful treats, the ice cream shop also has a great atmosphere. It’s located in an old BP filling station at 100 W. Market St. and the décor of the building is reminiscent of its former use, including vintage gas station signs on the walls and an antique gas pump near the entrance. There is a game room with classic arcade games and an air hockey table, and there’s always good summertime music playing on the radio. Customers can find tables inside, or sit outside on one of several picnic tables.    

 

   This late spring, summer and early fall, if you haven’t yet tried Ducky’s, or a New Orleans-style snowball, stop by the Troy shop and find out what everyone is talking about. And if you need a suggestion on which ice cream flavor to try, go with the Banana Pudding, which even Donald agrees is, “the best we have.”    

 

   Learn more about Ducky's HERE.  They can be reached at (937) 703-5463.