Question

is the phrase in bold a direct object or an indirect object? every summer, mr. russell serves local beachgoers ice cream from the boardwalk. direct object indirect object

Explanation:

A direct object receives the action directly, while an indirect object is the recipient for whom/what the action is done. For the verb "serve", the structure is serve [indirect object] [direct object]: the indirect object is who gets the item, and the direct object is the item being served. Here, "ice cream" is the direct object (the thing being served), and "local beachgoers" is the recipient of that item.

Answer:

indirect object