APPLETON — It’s a bit of a drive, unless of course you live in the Hope-Appleton area, but it is well worth the trip. Bray Brook Farm Ice Cream, at 382 Union Road, not only features great ice cream, but also presents the opportunity to meet some of the farms donkeys who are friendly and always ready to mug for the camera or wait for maybe a morsel of waffle cone.

Elisa Driscoll is the owner and operator of Bray Brook Farm and the ice cream stand that sits in a small corner by the road.

“Bray Brook Farm is actually the name of my farm and my existing homestead,” she said. “I wanted to keep it simple. I wanted it to have a country and rustic feel.”

It’s easy to say the Bray Brook is off the beaten path, but Driscoll says it doesn’t hurt business.

“This is our fourth year and we’ve developed quite a following already,” she said. “Through Facebook and social media things have taken off and we do very well.”

Bray Brook features Shain’s of Maine ice cream. 

“I have 33 flavors right now, but I usually have 35,” she said. “No food, but we do have fresh, homemade brownies and cookie sandwiches. And I do have gluten-free ice cream, too.”

Driscoll said early evenings are the busiest.

“From 6 p,m, on we’re pretty busy. Mother’s Day is my biggest weekend of the year, believe it or not. And we’re just down the road from the school, so that’s always a rush when the kids get out of school and are dashing off to sports, or fishing. We’re also just up the road from a campground, so in the summer we see a lot of traffic from that.”

Driscoll said that after four years there is no rhyme or reason as to when she will be busy. And of course there are the donkeys. Driscoll said people love the donkeys, whose names are Breeze, Henry and Takoda.

“We just love those long ears,” she said. “We got our first donkey 11 years ago. We brought him home when he was six months old as a companion for one of my horses. Then five years ago, I brought home another one.”

Driscoll said it was 2013 when her and her husband were walking through the fair, and they saw their last donkey to acquire.

“She was two weeks old and we just fell in love with her,” she said. “We knew that we just had to have her. All the donkeys are great friends, and great pasture protectors. They serve no other purpose on the farm other than holding it down and being our friends.”

Driscoll said people love to go over and see the donkeys, but there are two fences that separate the animals from the spectators.

“I have a regular fence and then there is an electric fence a little further back, as well,” she said. “Because of liability, of course, I can’t let anybody touch or come in contact with the animals. The donkeys are very friendly and sociable, but fingers can look like snacks and not everybody understands that, so for that reason we keep a good distance between the two.”

Driscoll said there are picnic tables and chairs under the pines and people love to just come and sit and socialize.

Bray Brook Farm officially opened for the season on May 6 at 2 p.m. They are closed Monday and Tuesday, but are open 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Saturdays and Sundays they open from noon to 8 p.m.

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