Frosty Freez opens Monday, signaling the start of warmer weather and seasonal tastes

As we work our way through another week of 40-degree temperatures and more rain, we can finally take comfort in a series of events that will be coming our way to warm our weather-weary souls.

On Thursday, we can beat the drum and hold the phone because baseball will be back. Major League Baseball Opening Day comes with a promise that warmer days will be here soon. And while it will still be chilly on the diamond on Thursday (I’d bet with Shohei Ohtani that at least one game will be interrupted by flurries), it’s only a matter of time before all of our favorite rites of summer will return.

On Sunday, we celebrate an early Easter – another sign that the seasons are changing. Even though it may still be chilly outside, the sight of Easter flowers and bright, seasonal colors will make it seem like spring is actually here. Even to ancient pagans, Easter was a holiday of renewal and rebirth. So when we celebrate, our bodies instinctively know that we are coming out of our winter doldrums and funk.

That leads us to Monday, the holiday of holidays here on the Island. That’s the day that Frosty Freez comes out of their winter hibernation and they open for the season. It doesn’t matter that the temps will likely still be in the 50s. The service windows of the familiar building on East Main Road will open at about 11:30 a.m. and the ice cream will start to flow…er, scoop. The Frosty Freez faithful will be there to mark the occasion. It’s a bragging right to say you were there on opening day

What do you order on opening day? It’s a day that calls for your favorite – the item you have been craving all winter. No reason to mess around here – don’t hold up the line so you can see any new offerings they might have. The protocol on day one is to stick to your usual. You’ll have the next six months to work your way through the rest. Remember, you want to keep the line moving. It’s easy to wait in line when it’s 75 degrees out, but when it’s cold, everyone wants to get in and out. Be quick, be friendly, but be there. It’s the tastiest way to let the gods of summer know you are ready to play!

Frosty Freez is not the only place in town making a much-heralded season debut. Flo’s Drive-In in Portsmouth returns on Thursday after their usual winter hiatus. This comes a few weeks after their Middletown restaurant opened for the season. Cheers to a summer of stuffies and clam cakes! And while you're down in Island Park, be sure to say hello again to the folks at Schultzy's Snack Shack who open for the season on April 1. Grab a hot dog, some french fries and a fresh-made milkshake and grab a seat at one of their picnic tables to do some people watching.

If you were waiting for more ice cream on Monday, head to Anna D's Café in Portsmouth where their ice cream shop is opening for the season too. A long-awaited scoop of Coconut Almond Bar will hit the spot and quench that ice cream craving. In Newport, Get the Scoop on Broadway recently reopened for another season of ice cream delight serving their homemade premium creations. And over in Middletown, Clementine’s reopened earlier this month and is awaiting their new Portsmouth location (near Fieldstone’s) to open in early May. You may want to be festive this weekend and grab a Cadbury Egg Cone.

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Want more proof that summer is coming? DeCastro Farms on East Main Road just reopened for the season on Tuesday. It’s the perfect spot to grab that Easter plant or to start thinking about those spring planting projects (or ark building if it keeps raining). They offer great, fresh, seasonal produce too – we can almost taste that sweet summer corn! And if DeCastro’s is open, it means that Sweet Berry Farm isn’t far behind. Look for them to come back in early May once their crops are in bloom.

There is suddenly a feeling of hope in the air! You can sense things are starting to change and bloom around here. The restaurants keep coming back – The Smoke House will be opening in late April, as will The Deck Restaurant and The Landing. The outdoor patios will soon be power-washed, spiffied up and readied for another summer season. The businesses are all staffing up in anticipation of what’s to come. As George Harrison noted, it's been a long, cold, lonely winter. But don’t worry fellow Islanders, here comes the sun (and not a moment too soon!)

Dan Lederer is a Middletown resident with 30 years experience in the food service industry throughout New England. He continues to work locally behind the scenes within the industry and remains a devoted fan of all things restaurant and hospitality-related. His column appears on newportri.com and in The Daily News. Cheers!

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Frosty Freez and other seasonal openings on Aquidneck Island