Obama visits John’s Water Ice

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For Anthony Cardullo, owner of John’s Water Ice, 701 Christian St., it seemed like any other Thursday.

“It was a perfectly normal 85-degree day,” Cardullo said . “We had the regular afternoon crowd.”

However, the daily routine was soon shattered by the news that a pretty important guy was paying them an unexpected visit.

At 4:20 pm, a police officer informed John’s employees that President Barack Obama would be arriving in 20 minutes. The news caught everyone in the shop, including its owner, by surprise.

“When the first cop came in and told us, we thought he was kidding,” he said.

By 4:40 pm, the reality of the situation had fully sunk in as the Obama motorcade arrived at the shop. The president ordered a medium lemon water ice and briefly spoke to the owner. Obama asked him about the business, Cardullo said. Cardullo told him about how he is the third generation to run the Bella Vista shop. John’s has been serving water ice to residents since it opened in 1945.

In total, the visit only lasted about five minutes with the president being whisked away as quickly as he had appeared. But the brief visit has left a lasting impression on those who were lucky enough to be at John’s Water Ice on a Thursday afternoon between 4:40 and 4:45 p.m.

“We are excited about it,” Cardullo said. “It was a honor.”

Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.

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