WINOOSKI, Vt. (WCAX) – Sandwiched between a park and a pool, there’s an ice cream shop in Winooski that does things a little differently.

“We got to end on it, it’s not just for the top,” said Offbeat Creemee owner Aisha Bassett, dumping sprinkles into the bottom of an ice cream cone, before layering creemee and more sprinkles on top. But, the layers of sprinkles aren’t what sets this treat apart — it’s the lack of dairy, eggs and other allergens. Before she brought dietary deliciousness to the Onion City, Bassett perfected making regular ice cream. That is until the world froze in its tracks.

“During COVID we saw a lot of restaurants have their own ice cream, and we decided we needed to change directions, pivot, have something different that is not in the area,” explained Bassett. “Started to experiment for a couple months, trying to make the perfect ice cream.”

After 12 iterations of dairy-free ice cream, and almost two months of trial and error, Aisha and her lactose-intolerant husband, Dan, nailed down the recipe. The vegan mixture is made of coconut and oat milks and is crafted in a kitchen in Burlington.

“It took a lot of ugly ice cream to get what we have now,” she laughed. “Looked at a lot of university studies and a lot of ice cream studies and tried to find the cleanest and simplest formula.”

In 2020, the duo opened up their creemee window at Myers Memorial Pool in Winooski. To say they were well received would be an understatement.

“I was amazed at how successful we were. The lines were down to the sidewalk and I was working by myself back there and I immediately had to recruit some people,” Aisha Bassett said. “The response was amazing and really blew me away.”

They’ve been busy ever since. The window is ending summer hours on Labor Day weekend. They’ll reopen in late September until the end of October, slinging creemees and hard ice cream.

“Blueberry shortcake, I love brownie batter,” said Bassett, donning ice cream cone earrings. “Berry cheesecake is like one of my favorite desserts.”

The window also offers milkshakes and decadent sundaes, like the pretzel brownie sundae — a brownie batter ice cream base, house-made fudge, house-made caramel, and pretzel pieces triple layered. For those who prefer savory or trendy treats, they even offer an olive oil ice cream sundae.

“Totally my vibe, it’s very… especially Graza olive oil,” said Bassett. “It’s very botanical, very olive-y. And the sea salt just brings it out a little bit more… good balance.”

“I see the people in line, like they’re the reason why I’m so successful, I can’t really take too much credit,” she said, while also expressing admiration for her staff. “I’m gonna cry, stop!”

You can find these sweet treats at their window at 62 Pine St. in Winooski, or you can buy pints from either City Market location and Leo & Co in Essex.

Copyright 2024 WCAX. All rights reserved.

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The threat of eastern equine encephalitis has led to the cancelation of another popular event in our region.

Organizers say Oktoberfest Vermont 2024 at the Burlington Waterfront is canceled.

They say they made the decision after recommendations from state health officials and the city advising people to limit their time outdoors during the evening to avoid the potentially deadly mosquito-borne virus.

Health officials recently released advice for people to stay inside as much as possible between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. for high-risk towns including Alburgh, Burlington, Colchester and Swanton.

Oktoberfest was scheduled for Sept. 20-21, but organizers said they felt compelled to act quickly to minimize losses and ensure the event can continue in the future.

In an email, owners Louie and Max Orleans said, in part, “We recognize that you’ve held this date in your calendar for many months on our behalf and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience and disappointment this decision causes you and your team. Please know that this decision was not made lightly and we share your disappointment.”

They say they are now working with their ticketing platform to alert all ticketholders and process full refunds.

Last week, another popular Burlington event, Summervale, was canceled due to concerns about EEE.

Copyright 2024 WCAX. All rights reserved.

FINAL SCORE: Vermont 1, FDU 1
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Catamounts battled to a 1-1 draw against FDU on Sunday afternoon from Virture Field, tallying their third draw of the season. With the result, Vermont now holds a 1-1-3 record while FDU moves to 0-2-3.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score | Box Score (.pdf)
CatamounTV Highlights
 
COACH’S QUOTE
“I thought we had a good response from our group today from a performance we didn’t like Thursday,” said Head Coach Kristi Huizenga. “We were thin in some positions today on a hot day after a long week and I thought we came together well to grind out a result and show some maturity.”
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Catamounts pounced first in the 20th minute when Kate Bossert found Bailey Ayer streaking up the middle, where she rifled her shot while being surrounded by defenders to the bottom left corner of the net, earning Vermont the 1-0 advantage.  
• In the 41st minute, the Knights responded when Marina Burzaco pinned the top left corner of the net from just outside the box, knotting the score, 1-1.
• No goals were scored in a competitive second half, as the match went final with a score of 1-1.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Graduate student goalkeeper Dani Pollard made her first start of the season, making five total saves, a new career high for saves in a single game.
• Ayer scored her fourth goal of the season against the Knights, putting her at four goals in five games, the first Catamount to do so since Bossert in the first five matches of the 2023 season.
• Bossert picked up her first point of the season after assisting Ayer’s goal. Bossert tallied three shots and one shot on goal to go along with her assist.
• Della Weir led the Catamounts with two shots on goal.
• Maddy Cronin led all Catamount field players in minutes, playing all 90 total.
• Eight different Catamounts registered a shot on goal against FDU, the third time that’s happened this season.

 
UP NEXT
Following Sunday’s matchup with the Knights, Vermont will travel to Loudonville, N.Y. on Wednesday, September 4 to take on MAAC foe, Siena, in the team’s second road match of the season. The start time for the match is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET. The matchup will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
For news and updates about the Vermont women’s soccer program, follow @UVMwsoccer on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and visit UVMathletics.com.

New England Federal Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of Vermont soccer