Bob Bair said he wants to make sure Sunday will be ice cream fun day for the Seven Valleys community.

Bair, the president of Red Lion Grange No. 1781, is leading the organization's efforts to recognize Seven Valley's role in the beginnings of the commercial ice cream business.

He said the grange will dedicate an official Pennsylvania historical marker commemorating how Jacob Fussell, who set up an ice cream factory in Seven Valleys, was the first person to commercially distribute ice cream in the United States.

The dedication will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at Seven Valleys Community Fire Co., 35 Main St.

During the event, the public will learn about Fussell, a Baltimore milk dealer who used surplus milk and cream from the dairy industry in York County, Bair said.

Fussell also used ice from Codorus Creek for the ice cream. He moved his operations to Baltimore in 1854, but continued to use dairy products from York County farmers.

"York County was known for the quality and purity of the milk and cream the farmers produced," Bair said. "We're excited about this history. We're proud that York County is the birthplace of commercial ice cream production in the United States."

The event: Bair said the dedication event will feature comments from him, local dignitaries, and from Ray Kinard, a Seven Valleys resident and historian. The York County Corvette Club members will bring 25 of their cars. Turkey Hill Ice Cream also will have its large fiberglass cow at the event.

Local ice cream businesses also made special donations for the event, Bair said.

"We'll have free ice cream for everyone," he said. "We're going to have a lot of good fun for the community."

The historic plaque is four feet wide, weighs more than 100 pounds and is made of

cast aluminum, according to Bair.

He said he will wait until Sunday's dedication to let the public know what is on the plaque. The plaque has blue with gold lettering.

A delay: The grange initially planned to install the plaque on Sunday on the York County Heritage Rail Trail near the Route 124 bridge in Seven Valleys.

The installation will be done next spring because the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission -- which approved the plaque in April -- wants to display the marker in January at the 2013 Pennsylvania Farm Show, Bair said.

"Hundreds of thousands of people attend the farm show, so that means this history about York County will get more attention," Bair said. "We're just glad to have this happen."

If you go: A dedication ceremony will be held for the official Pennsylvania historical marker recognizing York County as the birthplace of commercial ice cream production in the United States.

The event is at 2 p.m. Sunday at Seven Valleys Community Fire Co., 35 Main St.

--Reach Eyana Adah McMillan at emcmilla n@yorkdispatch.com.