Kris & Kates cone arrives from Canada
SKYE POURNAZARI/THE FORUM
Kieth Gerling, owner-operator of Gerling Construction of St. Joseph, drives a telescopic forklift carrying part of an ice cream cone-shaped building on Wednesday morning in Downtown Maryville. Eventually he will erect the cone on the corner of Fourth and Buchanan streets where it will become Kris and Kates an ice cream parlor. His father Bill Gerling, right, and Phil Berg, driver with KMJ Industrial Contractors out of Ontario, Canada, help the cone find its first Maryville resting place in the parking lot just west of Buchanan Street.
MARYVILLE, Mo. — The new Kris and Kates ice cream cone-shaped building arrived in town Wednesday morning on the back of a truck.
Kris and Kates owner Austin Evans found the Twistee Treat cone in Ontario, Canada, and thanks to driver Phil Berg, with KMJ Industrial Contractors, the iconic building made it to town safe and sound.
Not a typical sight for most drivers, the large pieces of “cone” drew a few comments during its trek from Ontario. Berg said at the U.S. and Canadian border, a U.S customs agent said he’d never seen something like it cross the border.
“One guy chirped up on the radio and mentioned something about it,” he said. “I’m sure a lot of people were looking.”
In pieces and without the bright pink color, it’s difficult to tell that it’s a twin to the 27-foot tall cone in St. Joseph, but with the help of Kieth Gerling, owner-operator of Gerling Contracting of St. Joseph, it should look like a match soon enough.
He told The Forum on Wednesday his plans are to get started as soon as possible on the construction.
“We’re waiting on grade work right now,” Gerling said.
Not wanting to make promises, he said, “hopefully we’ll be up and running before the end of April.
“I’ve got to figure out how it goes together, too,” he said with a smile, remarking it’s his first time with this particular style of building.
Gerling met Evans when he was searching for a Maryville location for Lean Kitchen, which Evans also owns.
“He’s really hoping it really kicks off,” Gerling said, noting he’s heard from a lot of people who are excited about the new sweet treat option.
Evans wanted to open at the end of March, but Gerling explained the process has taken a bit longer than expected. It took a little more than a month to get all the paperwork set up to clear customs.
“Now if we can just get everything put together, he can start selling ice cream,” Gerling said.
Berg thought Wednesday’s unloading might take several hours and chipped in to help remove the items as safely as possible.
He said there were several of the Twistee Treat cones in the city of Windsor, near where he calls home.
“I have vague memories of one or two of them,” he said, and noted his surprise that they were taken down.
Currently the pieces of this building will stay on the northeast side of the Planet Sub parking lot until they can be moved across Buchanan Street for construction on the corner of Fourth and Buchanan streets.
SKYE POURNAZARI/THE FORUM
Kieth Gerling affixes straps to part of a giant ice cream cone that eventually will form the new Maryville business Kris and Kates on Fourth and Buchanan streets. Bill Gerling watches from the ground.
SKYE POURNAZARI/THE FORUM
Kieth Gerling prepares to unload an oversized ice cream cone-building component from the truck it was transported on from Canada on to Maryville. Gerling, owner-operator of Gerling Construction of St. Joseph, said he will be the one to put together the large cone-shaped building that will house Kris and Kates on the corner of Fourth and Buchanan streets.
SKYE POURNAZARI/THE FORUM
Phil Berg, driver with KJM Industrial Contractors of Ontario, Canada, helps Bill Gerling attach a strap to a forklift to maneuver a part of the Kris and Kates ice cream cone-shaped building on Wednesday morning. Gerling’s son, Kieth, owner-operator of Gerling Construction of St. Joseph, will construct the building on the corner of Fourth and Buchanan streets.
KRISANDKATES.COM
The phrase, “Meet Me at the Cone” will be very fitting this summer when Kris and Kates opens on Fourth Street in Maryville. Owner Austin Meyer found the Twistee Treat cone in Ontario, Canada, and had it shipped to town. Currently, the plan is for the cone to be pink just like its predecessor in St. Joseph.
