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<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; Summer&#8217;s starting early in Plains Township &#8212; or at least it feels and tastes that way &#8212; thanks to a new ice cream shop on North River Street.</p><p>Malacari&#8217;s Ice Cream held a grand opening for its second location Friday, complete with a ribbon cutting.</p><p>Owner Frank Malacari said the shop is a logical next step after 10 successful seasons of ice cream at their first location at 80 Wilkes-Barre Township Blvd. in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>Malacari said the store&#8217;s popularity can be chalked up to &#8220;good publicity,&#8221; adding that people seemed excited to spread info about the new shop through things like social media.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re just happy to be part of this community,&#8221; Malacari said.</p><p>The new shop replaces one that Plains Township residents know well, the former Sprinkles &amp; Shakes Ice Cream and Grill. But now, the store has a fresh coat of paint, turning the formerly pink building into a cool, minty green. And, to complete the summery vibes, palm trees with twinkling lights straddle the patio. The Plains Township location even sports a drive-thru for those looking to get their ice cream fix quickly. </p><p>But it&#8217;s not only the new looks that will attract customers, Malacari said.</p><p>&#8220;We have the largest portions for the lowest prices in the Wyoming Valley,&#8221; he claimed.</p><p>He also noted the shop is a &#8220;full-service&#8221; ice cream stand, complete with Hershey&#8217;s hard ice cream, Italian ice, and soft ice cream in both the standard chocolate-vanilla-twist varieties and some more unique flavors.</p><p>Holly Chandler, of Exeter, took a break from work Friday to get one of those unique flavors shortly after the ribbon cutting &#8212; she got a chocolate and peanut butter soft serve twist in a cup.</p><p>Chandler said she was a frequent customer of Malacari&#8217;s first location, so she was looking forward to checking out the new one.</p><p>&#8220;I drive past it every day on my way to work, and they really fixed it up nice,&#8221; Chandler said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Malacari&#8217;s Ice Cream on North River Street in Plains Township opens for business after their ribbon-cutting on Friday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_TTL033019malacari-pk_2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Malacari&#8217;s Ice Cream on North River Street in Plains Township opens for business after their ribbon-cutting on Friday afternoon. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_TTL033019malacari-pk_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Malacari&#8217;s Ice Cream on North River Street in Plains Township offers a large seating area and a drive-thru lane for customers. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_TTL033019malacari-pk_3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Malacari&#8217;s Ice Cream on North River Street in Plains Township offers a large seating area and a drive-thru lane for customers. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_TTL033019malacari-pk_1cmyk.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Co-owners Frank and Joe Malacari, right, cut the ribbon with family and employees at the new location of Malacari&#8217;s Ice Cream on North River Street in Plains Township on Friday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_TTL033019malacari-pk_1cmyk.jpg</photo2><caption2>Co-owners Frank and Joe Malacari, right, cut the ribbon with family and employees at the new location of Malacari&#8217;s Ice Cream on North River Street in Plains Township on Friday afternoon. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Patrick Kernan</p><p>pkernan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Malacari’s holds grand opening for Plains Twp. ice cream shop