The Anniston Star ● Monday, July 20, 2009
MONDAY RECORD YOUR GUIDE TO PUBLIC RECORDS AND VITAL STATISTICS IN CALHOUN COUNTY
OFF TO WORK ... WITH AN ICE CREAM MAN
Anniston’s James Jairrels does it for the kids BY BILL EDWARDS bedwards@annistonstar.com
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 Please see WORK ❙ Page 3
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Bill Wilson/The Anniston Star
James Jairrels sells ice cream to children at the Lenlock Community Center.
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