Finding an ice cream truck willing to drive 2.5 miles down a dirt road in rural Alaska is not something most people expect. For Sterling residents, that was just a regular visit from The Jolly Roger’s Taste of Paradise.
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Business at a Glance
| Owner | Brent Rogers |
| Address | 36297 Cottontree Lane, Sterling, AK 99672 |
| Phone | (907) 394-0403 |
| tjr.icecreamtruck@gmail.com | |
| @TJRScallywag | |
| BBB Rating | A+ |
| In Business Since | July 30, 2016 |
| Available For | Party bookings and seasonal service |
Hours vary by season. Call (907) 394-0403 or check the Facebook page at @TJRScallywag before visiting.
What They Sell
The Jolly Rogers keeps the product lineup simple and practical:
- Pre-packaged ice cream bars
- Popsicles
- Frozen novelties
- Snacks
No soft serve. No hand-dipped scoops. The focus has always been pre-packaged frozen treats, which makes sense for a mobile operation covering Alaska’s remote roads on a compressed seasonal schedule.
The business is also available for party bookings and private events. Reach Brent Rogers directly at (907) 394-0403 or through the Facebook page to arrange availability.
The Mobile Years: How Far Rogers Actually Went
Brent Rogers launched the Jolly Rogers ice cream truck in July 2016, and from the start, he ran a route that covered far more than Sterling’s main roads.
Carrie Fairbanks, a Sterling resident, wrote in her Facebook review: “So awesome to have something here in Sterling like this! Especially one willing to drive 2ยฝ miles down a dirt road! The kids loved it!”
That kind of reach defined the operation. Rogers was not waiting at a fixed stop for customers to find him. He was going to them, including homes well off the pavement that had never had an ice cream truck come down their road before.
The service area stretched across the broader Kenai Peninsula. Shawna Roberts Vlasak, a school representative, documented one visit in her review: “Thank you so much for bringing the Jolly Rogers ice cream truck to K-Beach to help our students celebrate their incredible behavior! You guys are the best!”
K-Beach is the Kalifornsky Beach Road corridor south of Soldotna, roughly 20 miles from Sterling. Rogers was covering the width of the peninsula, not just his home community.
The mobile operation ran three types of visits:
- Regular neighborhood route stops through Sterling and surrounding areas
- Private yard visits, often booked on short notice
- School celebrations and community events across the Kenai Peninsula
Jamie Harper’s review reflects what that flexibility looked like in practice: “Great people and so willing to come out for special occasions at a moment’s notice!”
The truck earned a 96% recommendation rate across its Facebook reviews. Sterling community member Hydra Tioaquen Mayos Murray, who noted she booked the truck to come to her yard, put it simply: “Young or old, enjoy it!”
For the record, she also mentioned her last photo was taken before the truck carried the Jolly Rogers name. The truck existed under a prior identity before Rogers formalized the branding. The pirate theme, his last name playing on the Jolly Roger flag, his kids nicknamed “Scallywags,” his customers called “Peninsula Peeps,” became the identity that stuck.
Five Seasons on the Road, Then a Change
By the end of the 2021 summer season, Rogers wrapped up five years of mobile service with a post to the @TJRScallywag Facebook page:
“Thank you all for a wonderful season and a spectacular 5 years of serving up sweet treats and smiles!! We still aren’t certain what our future holds but we never would have made it this long without all of your support!”
The future took shape over the following year. Around 2022, Rogers announced the next chapter in a second post:
“The Jolly Rogers ice cream truck is settled in at its new home! Our final Scallywag graduates high school this week, so it was time for a change.”
He timed the end of the mobile route to a family milestone. His youngest child graduating high school was the moment he chose to change how the business operated. The truck stopped making its rounds. The business did not.
Where to Find The Jolly Rogers Today
The Jolly Roger’s Taste of Paradise now operates from a fixed address at 36297 Cottontree Lane, Sterling, AK 99672, and remains open for party bookings.
The Better Business Bureau has carried an A+ rating for the business since opening its file in March 2019. The business is a sole proprietorship, with Brent Rogers listed as owner and primary contact.
Alaska’s short operating season means availability typically runs from late spring through early fall. Confirm current hours and scheduling by calling (907) 394-0403 or messaging the Facebook page at @TJRScallywag.
Why Sterling?
Sterling sits 10 miles northeast of Soldotna on the Sterling Highway, about 130 miles south of Anchorage. According to Travel Alaska, the state’s official tourism authority, it functions as “a full-service community geared toward visitors who are preparing to venture into the surrounding wilderness of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.”
Every summer, thousands of anglers, campers, and wildlife viewers move through Sterling chasing Kenai River salmon, including king, sockeye, pink, and silver runs at various points in the season. Charter fishing operations work the Moose River and Kenai River confluence right in town.
That steady summer foot traffic, combined with a tight-knit residential community that had no local frozen treat vendor before 2016, was the gap Rogers stepped into when he started the Jolly Rogers ice cream truck nearly a decade ago.
In a small town like Sterling, a business willing to drive down your dirt road and show up at your kid’s school celebration is not easy to replace. Nine years in, The Jolly Roger’s Taste of Paradise is still the only one doing it.
