Meet Sweet

Did somebody say Ice Cream? It was July 30, 2025, and Sweet Annie’s Ice Cream Parlour was hosting Cone with A Cop. It was the perfect place to cool down on Marco Island with your favorite flavor of ice cream. Extreme heat advisories were in effect across most of Florida for the week of July 28th, with some areas expecting the heat index to reach up to 115 degrees. It was a family-friendly vibe with the chance to meet and chat with members of the Marco Island Police Department and learn about bike safety with the new E-Bike rules.

Along with giving away MIPD badges, pins, bags, and assorted souvenirs, Marco Island Police Officers also engaged with the adults on the new Rules of the Road for Bikes, E-bikes, and motorized scooters.

Equipment:

• 16 years and under – helmets are required.
• Must have white/front and red/rear lights.
• Must have operational brakes.

Sidewalk rules:

• Yield to pedestrians.
• When passing pedestrians, use an audible signal.
• When leaving the sidewalk, cannot operate into the path of a vehicle.
• SPEED LIMIT of 12 MPH.
• Cannot operate in the park – under manual power only.

General Rules:

• Follow traffic signals.
• Cannot weave through traffic.
• Cannot leave roadway to avoid traffic signals.
• Use hand signals.
• Riding more people than bike is designed for.
• Parent/guardian allowing minor to violate bicycle regulations.

Here’s the scoop on Sweet Annies. They offer over 40 flavors, including cherished favorites and exciting new tastes. Additionally, for those with special dietary needs, they provide nondairy and sugar-free options. July was also National Ice Cream Month, and the Flavor of the Month was Red, White, and Blue (Superman) ice cream. What better way to celebrate than with a cone of your favorite frozen treat? Kids wearing a helmet got a free ice cream cone, and the shop was packed all afternoon. So, who doesn’t like ice cream?

According to shop owner Tim Hager, Sweet Annie’s opened in 1986 and has been in the same location for almost 40 years. A couple, Philip and Janet Ketover, originally opened Sweet Annie’s. Tim shared that his wife Chenoah worked at Sweet Annie’s in her high school years, and at that time, the owner was Gary Beebe. Gary also owned and operated another ice cream shop on Marco, Beebe’s Ice Cream. Gary passed away in 2011, and his widow sold Sweet Annie’s to Tim and Chenoah in 2013.

When Tim and Chenoah took over Sweet Annie’s they had no children but soon their family grew with Fiona (10), Anya (eight) and Penelope (six), and in seven weeks, they are expecting a baby boy. Tim shared that they were working very long hours and in 2021, the local restaurant group, Carvelli Restaurant Group became their new partners. Tim added that over the years, they have slowly added new items that customers might like and enjoy.