Warmer days, open car windows and open swimming pools — there are lots of ways to tell summer is near.

One of the tastier ways: The ice cream shops open again.

The Ice Cream Factory on Broadway in downtown Paducah re-opened on Friday after its yearly winter shut down. Owner Sue Clark, who also owns the barbecue restaurant nearby, D. Starnes Barbecue, said people enjoy stopping by for a cold treat.

With a weekend that started off feeling like summer, manager Marquita Griffin said the ice cream shop kicked the season off with a bang. 

“That’s the main thing,” Griffin said. “We had good weather going on.”

Something similar happens this time of year in Murray and Aurora.

People in Murray wait every year for March 1 to roll around so the Murray Dairy Queen opens again.

Owned by Leslie and Hal Kemp, the Murray shop stays open each summer until Oct. 31.

Belew’s is a family restaurant that opens in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation area each April and stays open until Labor Day.

People enjoying the warm weekend stopped by the Ice Cream Factory to enjoy a cold treat before the hot summer sun comes out in full force.

Even though the Ice Cream Factory is a relatively new business, it has a classic counter, vintage parlor tables and a large cold marble slab that makes it feel like an old diner.

And those who offer their cold confections usually do so out of fun and a desire to make others happy.

Leslie Kemp used to work in medical supplies. Now she gets to host reunions, homecoming celebrations, birthdays and even engagements as people in the community use the Dairy Queen in some of their happiest days.

Call Adam Shull, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653 or follow @adamshull on Twitter.