We're still a few weeks away from the official start of summer, nothing says summer more than ice cream.

This week's Community Gem features a local ice cream shop that's been serving up sweets for more than 50 years. 

"I love ice cream, I eat it all day long," said Gress. 

For Whippy Dip owner Katie Gress, ice cream has always been a part of her life.

"My senior year of college I worked here for the summer and when I was done, I told Chris Kamora if he ever wanted to sell I'd be interested," said Gress. "The next day he called and said he wanted to sell and that's how it all started." 

Whippy Dip has been around since the 1960s, a gas station turned ice cream shop, serving up loyal customers at 26th and Chestnut Streets in the City of Erie.

"It's nice here, I worked here and never felt unsafe," said Gress. "It's home to me."

From the weekly specials, to the Dipster, that's 15 swirls of ice cream as seen on their popular Instagram page. 

Customers flock to the shop from April through September looking to satisfy their sweet tooth.

"Families cousins aunts uncles a lot of people from out of town a lot of people who grew up in Erie and they move and call can you have blue moon or banana that week and I try to have it," said Gress.

Gress says despite what's on the menu, seeing customers return year after year is really the sweetest part of the job.

"I love to come everyday because I want to try every flavor of the Whippy Dip, I love so much ice cream," said Jasmin Akter, customer. 

Whippy Dip has had such success at their Erie location, that it expanded into Millcreek a few years ago.

Gress' brother runs that location on West 12th Street.