“We have heard the concern throughout the community about your favorite local ice cream spot disappearing or changing….Rest assured, Cone Zone isn’t going anywhere!!!,” the new owners posted. “We are proud to carry on the legacy that Rob and his family started and we look forward to providing the same great treats that you have come to love!”
Time commitment
The Cone Zone was open from March until early October, seven days a week, causing their family to miss out on too many summer activities of their own, Tracey said.
Tracey said his daughters “haven’t had any summers with their kids, no camping trips, anything like that. That’s the hardest part to watch them grow up and their kids growing up and having to sacrifice having a summer.”
When they first opened, Tracey told The Gazette he hoped to turn the business over to his daughters but they grew up and got married and had kids of their own, with no desire to continue it.
The Cone Zone is near the corner of West High Street and John Paul Road on Milton’s west side, just blocks from Milton High School and the city’s main youth sports complex, Schilberg Park.
Tracey said kids would flock there after sports, as well as people coming from events, people from Janesville and even campers from Illinois looking for a sweet treat.
“They always would say, ‘the Cone Zone is your first step here,’ when they come up in the spring and the last step when they leave for the winter,” he said.
Tracey said a line would form outside the window before it opened at 11 a.m. and would stay constantly busy throughout the day.
The Gazette reported in 2011 when the business opened, that it had many different ice cream treats including a Cone Zone “Creation.” That was a whopping cup of soft-serve ice cream mixed with several choices of candy, that it was said could substitute for a meal.
Then there’s the shop’s specialty: Ice Cream Pie. As the name implies, it’s soft-serve ice cream poured into a nine-inch graham cracker crust.
Tracey said they never wanted for workers even during the COViD-19 pandemic, when they were able to stay open with a drive-up window.
Many of the people who worked alongside their family started at 14 and stayed until they finished college.
Henneberry said she is going to miss is how close the workers became, like family.
Among their favorite memories were all the animals that would come to the shop. Tracey said one man brought his parrot and another man once had a raccoon.
“The dogs always got a pup cup and the parrot got nuts and the raccoon got marshmallow,” he said. “Those were fun times.”
Tracey said they are all now going to focus on different things in life.
Tracey said he is ready for a much-needed break but he will probably start working again next summer.
Casey-Schmidt said her business, Hair Concepts by Cate, 1646 Plainfield Ave., in Janesville, can be a bigger priority now that she’s not helping to run another business. And she looks forward to spending more time with her kids during the summer.
Henneberry said she plans to spend more time with her kids as they are going to be starting school soon.
Tracey and his family expressed gratitude for the community and to their loyal customers for their support over the years.
“Thanks to all the customers that came up and supported us,” he said “They made us feel so good with the comments on our Facebook page after we knew we were closing or selling; it was just amazing.”
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