Shave That Ice!

Rita's, probably the country's best known purveyor of "Italian ice", held their annual first day of Spring giveaway at all of their 500 stores nationwide - including the outlet at the Triangle Center.

What many of the hundreds who lined up Friday for a free taste probably don't know is that the machine that makes Italian ice possible was invented by the Clawson Machine Company of Flagtown.


Clement C. Clawson, Jr. was granted a patent in 1935 for a unique ice shaver for making what he termed "confections". While previous devices of this type were able to produce small quantities of ice, Clawson's invention allowed for operations on a large scale. This innovation created the Italian ice industry as we know it today!

I think that's good enough to allow Hillsborough residents free Italian ice EVERY day. What do you think?