HARLAN APPLE Lifeguard and swim coach at Salt Creek Club • Captain of the Benet Academy Swim Team • Oldest of three siblings • Has a dog named Ruthie • Member of Hinsdale Covenant Church
There are few Hinsdale traditions as delicious as the annual ice cream social in Burlington Park, and few people more excited about this year's 70th annual event than Harlan Apple.
Apple is president of the UChicago Medicine AdventHealth Hinsdale Junior Board, the youth-driven organization charged with bringing the Sunday afternoon event to the community each year. He, along with other members of the 100-plus-member board, will run games and activities, greet guests and see that everyone enjoys the afternoon of ice cream, fun and community.
For Apple and other members of the junior board, the ice cream social is filled with treasured childhood memories.
"I remember going when I was a little kid. It just gets better every single year," Apple said.
A member of the junior board since his freshman year, the Benet Academy senior said he was encouraged by friends to join. He served as a member his first year before becoming a chair as a sophomore, co-president as a junior and president this year.
"It's a faith-based organization, which really does matter to me. I think we do so much good work," Apple said.
Along with the ice cream social, members of the junior board volunteer at the hospital's free medical mission clinic each fall, guiding families where they need to go and even offering language interpretation when possible. The junior board also organizes diaper drives for the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit and carols throughout the hospital around Christmas, Apple said.
"This year we're doing a project with hospice," Apple said.
As for the ice cream social, Apple said it's much more than an opportunity to enjoy a cup of ice cream. The afternoon offers live entertainment, games such as musical chairs and mini golf, arts and crafts, face painting, a bounce house and more.
The free event will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25, in Burlington Park in downtown Hinsdale.
"It's just a great day for the community," Apple said.
Like so many traditions, the ice cream social was forced to adapt in the wake of the pandemic. For three years the event pivoted to simply handing out ice cream bars, foregoing the rest of the events that have long been part of the celebration. Last year marked the return of scooped ice cream, as well as the entertainment that attendees of the event have come to enjoy.
Along with his work as president of the Junior Board, Apple is a member of the Hinsdale Community Services Junior Board, a job that includes collecting, sorting and distributing food to local families in need. In June, Apple joined Benet classmates in building homes in Guatemala, helping to provide homes for three families.
With plans to attend college and one day pursue a career as an attorney, Apple said volunteerism will always be part of his life.
"It's really taught me the value of what I have in my own life," Apple said.
- story by Sandy Illian Bosch, photo provided
