With the sweltering sun of the summer beating down many are looking to escape with a cool treat, and local retailers are ready to accommodate.

&uot;People are coming in and all they want is something cold,&uot; Deborah Croley, manager at Russell Stover Candies. &uot;We have some new ice cream flavors including Mayfield’s new low-carb ice cream.&uot;

The top sellers at Russell Stover Croley said were ice cream shakes and sundaes. They’ve added new toppings for the sundaes like Reese’s Pieces and now serve malted shakes.

&uot;Sales are up,&uot; she said. &uot;The weather is hot and people want ice cream.&uot;

All dishes, including their one-of-a-kind banana split, can be served with either regular, sugar free or the low-carb ice cream.

&uot;The low-carb flavor is butter pecan,&uot; she said. &uot;We’ve had requests for coffee flavored and I’m going to ask Mayfield about it, but our top sellers are still vanilla and chocolate.&uot;

Russell Stover also now makes their own waffle cones right from their kitchen.

Croley says they’re becoming very popular, being able to hold as much as three scoops of ice cream.

&uot;For the Fourth of July, we planning what I call a ‘Sundae Bash,’&uot; she said. &uot;We have a new patio and will soon add tables, chairs and umbrellas for people to enjoy our treats outdoors.

This Fourth of July we’re planning to serve the ice cream outside, get the Mayfield Cow to come down and just enjoy the day.&uot;

A relatively new item at Russell Stover is on sale for the summer. ‘Summer Squares,’ a fruit flavored nugget covered with marsh mellow and chocolate has been reduced for the summertime.

The Russell Stover low-carb candy is also selling quite well, said Croley.

&uot;I have people buying boxes of the low-carb stuff,&uot; she said. &uot;We even have a low-carb chocolate sauce we use for the low-carb sundaes. I’ve gone from a four-foot section when it came out to now a 12-foot display. And people tell me they can loose weight eating it.&uot;

As the heat rises and people look for relief, options abound in the ice cream parlors. Weather your looking for banana split with three flavors of ice cream, whipped cream and a cherry to cure that sweet tooth or just a shake to cool down at a barbeque; ice cream is the choice for summertime fun.