Shenandoah University has teamed up with Red Fox Creamery in Winchester, Virginia, to release a sweet treat for all to enjoy while celebrating the university’s sesquicentennial in 2025.
Red Fox Creamery debuted “Buzzy’s Birthday Blast,” a birthday cake ice cream with a Shenandoah spin, during a private event on May 7, at its location on the Loudoun Street Mall in Old Town Winchester. Named for Shenandoah’s beloved hornet mascot, with a nod to Shenandoah’s 150th birthday, “Buzzy’s Birthday Blast” features Red Fox Creamery’s vanilla ice cream swirled with chunks of made-from-scratch birthday cake and red and blue star-shaped sprinkles that pay homage to Shenandoah’s meaning: “descendents of the stars.”
Kathy Puffinburger, owner of Red Fox Creamery, announced during the private event that “Buzzy’s Birthday Blast” will be available at her shop, located at 146 N. Loudoun St. in Winchester, for the foreseeable future.
“It was truly a pleasure to work with Shenandoah to create something that celebrates this significant moment in the university’s history,” Puffinburger said. “We’re always eager to support the local community, and I’m proud Shenandoah University chose Red Fox Creamery to help bring this fun idea to life.”
Puffinburger, who makes everything from scratch using fresh, all-natural ingredients, worked closely with representatives from Shenandoah University, including students Taylor Bullis ’25, Shawnise Campbell ’25, Bryan Mpengo ’28 and Kaitlyn Wahl ’27, to select a flavor that appropriately represented Shenandoah’s 150th anniversary. Puffinburger hosted multiple taste tests at Red Fox Creamery as SU’s panel narrowed down the desired flavor and ways to incorporate Shenandoah’s school colors and themes.
“We wanted to show our Shenandoah pride and celebrate the 150th year of SU with the ice cream flavor,” Bullis said. “The idea of a birthday cake flavor came from the idea that we’re having a yearlong birthday celebration for Shenandoah University and we want everyone to celebrate with us. Being able to contribute to the sesquicentennial in the form of selecting the official ice cream flavor allows me to contribute in a small way to the university that has made such a large and lasting impact on my life.”
“Being able to go through the process of tasting flavor combinations and having the flexibility to come back a second time and see those combinations in person was really fun,” Wahl said. “At the end of the day, we were there to find a flavor that celebrated us – 150 years of Shenandoah University – and that’s a pretty cool thing to celebrate. The birthday cake combo was a hit, especially since Red Fox Creamery has one of the best vanilla flavors and a really great homemade cake. Plus, the star sprinkles were an awesome touch since, at SU, we’re descendents of the stars.”
