Beating the heat with 1,200 pounds of Popsicle

Two photographs taken on the morning of July 4, 1990, capture a delightfully odd piece of Cedar Rapids history: three person-sized Popsicles, made of red, white and blue ice, proudly displayed outside the Hubbard Ice Company at 1124 First St. NW. One image shows a woman identified only as Chrissy standing behind the towering frozen treats. In the second, Jack Chadima appears, sporting a patriotic top hat and posing behind the same icy display.

Created by the team at Hubbard Ice, each Popsicle weighed about 400 pounds. They were rolled out onto the company’s shipping dock at 9 a.m. and remained on display until noon. According to John Chadima, who was Hubbard Ice Company manager at the time, Popsicles had held up well during a similar event the previous year. But 1990 brought alarming heat.

The National Weather Service issued warnings ahead of the celebrations, predicting a heat index between 105 and 110 degrees due to soaring temperatures and oppressive humidity. Iowans were encouraged to wear light-colored clothing, limit outdoor activity, and stay in air-conditioned spaces if possible. More than 250 homes in Eastern Iowa lost power that day after heavy demand caused wires to overheat and break around Cherry Hill Park in Cedar Rapids.

While the weather tested the limits of the frozen sculptures, they remain frozen in time as a joyful snapshot of creative Independence Day celebration and a quirky example of how Iowans find ways to stay cool, even on the hottest days.

Tara Templeman is curator at The History Center. Comments: curator@historycenter.org