Scooping Up Summer Fun
The 32nd annual Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl
Participating in this year’s Scooper Bowl are nine ice cream companies. Photo courtesy of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Imagine 20 tons of ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet—and all of it can be eaten without guilt. No, they’re not zero calories—they’re part of the 32st annual Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl, an all-you-can-eat ice cream festival, with proceeds supporting the fight against cancer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl, now the largest ice cream festival in the nation, started in June 1983 with four vendors dishing out frozen delights to about 1,000 visitors on the Boston Common. In more recent years, nearly 74,000 ice cream lovers flock to City Hall Plaza annually for the three-day event, which has raised more than $4.1 million, largely with frozen donations from some of the industry’s top ice cream companies. Nine of them—Baskin-Robbins, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyer’s, Delish by Walgreens, Edy’s, Friendly’s, Garelick Farms, HP Hood, and Yasso—will be scooping at this year’s festival.
Researchers tell us that most Americans consume 23 quarts of ice cream and other commercially produced frozen dairy products each year. Our intuition tells us that for Scooper Bowl attendees, that number may be a bit higher, and there’s no shame in that.
The Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl is being held at Boston’s City Hall Plaza, One City Hall Square, today, Tuesday, June 3, through Thursday, June 5, from noon to 8 p.m. Admission for ages 10 and up is $10, $5 for ages 3 to 9, and free for children under 3. Groups of 15 or more receive $2 off each ticket. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. The event is rain or shine. Get the scoop on flavors, the festival’s history, and more here.
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