Say what you want about The Gipper, he had his priorities straight.

President Ronald Reagan established the third Sunday in July as National Ice Cream Day, and July as National Ice Cream Month, in 1984. This year, the Big Day falls on July 16, this Sunday.

When making the proclamation, The Great Communicator described ice cream as “a fun and nutritious food that is enjoyed by over 90 percent of Americans,” and as best we can tell, no one has ever argued the point.

Certainly, the hard stats support the former president’s claim. The average American eats roughly 20 pounds, or about 4 gallons, of the sweet frozen treat each year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Most ice cream companies are family owned and have been in operation for more than 50 years, and churn out more than 1.3 billion gallons of ice cream, contributing more than $13 billion directly to the national economy and supporting nearly 29,000 direct jobs that generate $1.8 billion in direct wages, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.

With all that in mind, you could argue every day in America is National Ice Cream Day. Again, it’s Reagan to the rescue. He urged the day be specially observed with “appropriate ceremonies and activities,” and Connecticut scoop salons do not disappoint.

A 24-hour celebration at Frisbie’s Dairy Farm in New Britain will begin midnight on July 16 and include special first-time flavors and returning specials.

Through July 31, Shake Shack is offering a buy-one-get-one free shake. The offer is valid every day from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. for online orders only with the required promo code here. 

Carvel consumers will enjoy $5 off any Carvel order of $25 or more via Order.Carvel.com, DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats on Sunday.

Friendly’s is offering $0.88 single scoop cones from July 15-19, and an even more special deal on Sunday: free limited-edition Friendly’s merchandise, a Happy Ending Sundae and kid’s Monster Mash tattoos at each participating location.

Dairy Queen is being cagey: The iconic ice cream parlor is also promising a special deal for customers on Sunday, but you’ll have to download their app to find out the details.

But let’s get real: Most Connecticut residents won’t be downloading apps to find their ice cream this weekend. We’ll just load up the family, dogs and significant others and head over to our favorite ice cream joint, the one that’s been getting it right for years without benefit of special deals or online coupons.