Floating ice cream boat 'Scooped' denied from Lake Minnetonka
EXCELSIOR, Minn. (KMSP) - For the last four years, Ryan Campbell's floating ice cream truck has been a hit on Gull Lake in the Brainerd lakes area. But when he tried to bring "Scooped" to Lake Minnetonka over the Labor Day weekend, the conservation district sunk the idea.
On the shores of Lake Minnetonka, it’s no problem for music fans to get the scoop -- the only problem is Campbell's business selling ice cream, shakes and root beer floats is supposed to be floating itself.
“It’s tough, it’s a dream for me to be out here, been eight years I’ve been trying to make this happen and I love Lake Minnetonka,” Campbell said. “The lake has told us the regulations don't allow for mobile food vending services unless you are going to be picking up your passengers on boat and bringing them back to shore.”
The district says charter cruises are the only boats allowed to sell food or merchandise on the lake, because it doesn't want popular spots like Big Island and Cruisers Cove to turn into malls on the water. Plus, Lake Minnetonka already has a problem with trash left behind by boaters.
“I think it would be a good idea, especially on hot days when there are a lot of of boats on the lake and people are looking for something to cool them down just a bit,” Matt Haase, a regular visitor at the lake, said.
Campbell's newest creation may be a banana boat, but he hopes his ship hasn't sailed quite yet.
“It’s tough to be the little guy on Lake Minnetonka but I come from a family of entrepreneurs and I’m going to keep fighting, it'll happen at some point,” Campbell said. “We'll make it happen."