The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE—The Buckhorne Country Store and Campground has been awarded Hershey’s Ice Cream’s top sales award, The Golden Scoop Award, for 2023.
M. Ray Allen purchased the business in 2000, and every year of ownership since then, Ray and his wife, Cherie Suzanne Davis Allen, have managed to win the Golden Scoop Award.
Ray remarked, “We have more than 20 Golden Scoop Awards on display in our ice cream parlor section of our Buckhorne Country Store.”
He added, “In 2023, we sold more ice cream than ever before after setting a goal to sell $50,000 worth by offering 36 flavors.”
The Buckhorne Country Store and Campground at 3508 Douthat Road near the southern entrance to Douthat State Park surpassed the goal to finish with $65,000 in ice cream sales.
Ray said, “We created an attractive brochure that pictures the variety of flavors we offer along with a description of the ingredients of each, dubbed our business as “The King of Ice Cream,” and purchased a cutout of Superman for the Buckhorne Children’s Playhouse that let’s guests
know that we sale Superman ice cream.”
“We also set a single-day ice cream sales record by scooping $826 worth one day in July last year, and Superman Ice Cream has become one of the favorite flavors that children enjoy” Ray concluded.
The Buckhorne Country Store also features The Country Kitchen that sells Hunt Brothers Pizza products. Also, the store carries fishing tackle, live bait, camping supplies, groceries, soft drinks, ice, firewood and sundry products. Additionally, The Amber Suzanne Salon operates under the same roof adjacent to the Hats Off to the Virginia Opry Room, a room that features memorabilia concerning The Virginia Opry, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s official Opry.
Ray is the founder and director of The Virginia Opry that made its debut on stage on Oct. 17, 1992, at The Historic Masonic Theatre that was operating as The Historic Stonewall Theatre in Clifton Forge.
