The sunshine drew out the crowd Tuesday to Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream Shop for a sweet treat to celebrate the first week of spring.

from noon to 8 p.m., Plano residents were invited to the Plano Scoop Shop on Preston Road to be a part of the ice cream makers annual Free Cone Day.

In celebration of March as Red Cross Month, three North Texas Ben & Jerrys locations selected the American Red Cross-Dallas Area Chapter as its honorary charity for Free Cone Day.

when people see a disaster on television, the American Red Cross volunteers are always the first ones there to provide relief, said Hunter Rose, ice cream czar of the Plano Scoop Shop. Not only does the American Red Cross provide international disaster relief, but they are also very active with local relief. I cant think of a better charity to benefit.

Rose, who also owns the Ben & Jerrys shops in McKinney and Highland Village, said the three shops will help raise awareness for the American Red Cross-Dallas Area Chapter. The McKinney and Highland Village locations also participated in Free Cone Day.

The bright blue day was a perfect chance to get out of the house for Penny Berg, a mother of two who took her children to the Plano Scoop Shop. she, along with her son Caleb and daughter Macy, sat in the shade of an umbrella, enjoying the sunshine as they worked on their own ice cream cups. Caleb said his favorite ice cream was white. (That is vanilla for those who do not speak 4-year-old.)

Actually we were at the park and heard about the free scoops, Berg said. we knew we had to come out with the family to enjoy the wonderful weather.

As the days honorary charity, American Red Cross volunteers were present to help scoop and manage the lines at the ice cream shop.

And even though the ice cream will be free, well have a donations bucket out for anyone who wants to donate to the American Red Cross, Rose said prior to the event. The Red Cross has done some exceptional work this year with international disasters in Chile and Haiti. we want to honor that work and the work they do for local disaster relief.

Free Cone Day started in 1979 on the one-year anniversary of the business. Co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield first scooped free ice cream all day in order to thank the community for supporting them throughout their first year. Free Cone Day has now become an annual tradition at participating Ben & Jerrys locations across the nation.

Last years Free Cone Day occurred in April and benefited the Collin County Childrens Advocacy Center by raising awareness for Child Abuse Awareness Month.

Rose said the day is special because it gives back to the community that has helped support the local ice cream shops.

This is our way of saying thank you to all of our fans, friends, family, vendors, partners, charities and customers who kept us in business for another year, he said.

Rose said more than a million free cones are given away each year during Free Cone Day worldwide. about 7,000 scoops were given away last year, and Rose said he would not be surprised if more scoops were doled out this year due to the sunny weather on Tuesday.

If you were to go to Dallas Love Field Airport with the ice cream we give out on Free Cone Day, youd fill up two Boeing 747 airplanes, Rose said. Those planes are 154,500 pounds each, and the million scoops will fully load them.

But just one cone was enough for Christi Bieber and her co-workers as they sat at a table outside the Plano Scoop Shop enjoying the breeze and eating their ice cream. Free Cone Day was a lunchtime outing from the business day.

We are on our lunch hour for dessert, she said.

With the sunny skies and customers in shorts and T-shirts, it was easy to forget that there was still snow on the ground in some parts of Plano. however, the snowy weather that snuck up on the area Saturday was not a concern for Rose.

Four years, we had a pope named on Free Cone Day but we still had 5,000 people come out. Last year we had rain and we had close to 6,000 make it out, he said. Ben and Jerrys Ice Cream will bring people out in force.

The Plano Scoop Shops celebrity scoopers for the annual event included Dr. Doug Otto, superintendent of Plano ISD schools; Missy Bender, school board trustee; Iron Chef Kent Rathbun; Mabrie Jackson, Republican candidate for the Texas House of Representatives; David Chicken, Grammy Award-winning childrens singer and songwriter; Dallas Stars Ice Girls; and American Idol finalist Nikki McKibbin.

The Plano Scoop Shop had the newest flavors on hand as well as all the old favorites for Free Cone Day. Rose said the shop also showcased Ben & Jerrys Joe, a new collection of delicious frozen and iced coffee drinks, available in stores after Free Cone Day.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Related Posts

No related posts.