Summertime Santa: Anniston's ice cream man

ANNISTON, Ala. - He ranks right below Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and just above the tooth fairy: In most kids' minds, the ice cream man is the most eagerly awaited hero of the season.

But this character is real. In this case, he's 33-year-old James Jairrels, who, for the past four months, has driven a truck full of cold treats for its owner, Craig Graham.

Jairrels does it for the kids. That's why he likes it.

"It makes the kids happy," Jairrels said at a recent stop at the Lenlock Community Center. "When they see me coming, they start jumping up and down, and it makes me happy."

Jairrels said the job makes him think of his own days growing up in Anniston, chasing the ice-cream truck in his neighborhood.

Jairrels' shift with the big square van starts at noon and goes until dark. He works six days a week and says his boss would like him to go to seven, but says he's wary of doing anything that interrupts his Sunday activities with Faith Connection Worship Center.

Jairrels said he doesn't keep any particular route.

He drives all over Anniston, Oxford and Saks, making sure not to hit the same neighborhood with any frequency.

"I want to make them miss me," he said.

Eight different tunes are available for Jairrels to play on the speaker mounted outside his door. (How else are you gonna know he's on your street?) A turn of a knob instantly chooses a new one.

The song he plays depends on his mood, although one of them, he said, sounds so slow and mournful that he hardly ever plays that one.

He said he doesn't go nuts listening to the tunes over and over.

"I just focus on what God is doing for me in life. He's been blessing me," he said.

Of course, safety is a major concern, so Jairrels pulls into parking lots where possible, or else will turn around to the side of the street where most of the children are so they won't have to cross into traffic.

"I have to make sure I'm watching out for kids as well as other drivers," he said.

A school bus-style "STOP" sign flips out from the driver's side of the van to help define the safety zone around his vehicle.

Prices of his cold desserts range from one to three dollars, but "two dollars will get you anything," Jairrels said.

It's so inexpensive, he said, that he hates to see a child go without, and that's the worst part of his job.

"When I see the kid wants ice cream but they (the parents) got a beer in their hands and won't spend $2 on a child."

It's times like that, he said, that he will in fact feel a little like Santa Claus, "especially for those less fortunate. I dig into my wallet and pay for it."

The best part of his job is happy little customers.

"When that child receives that ice cream, he's satisfied for that moment."

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