Sweet Tuesday

The scoops are unlimited at the Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop on Church Street in Burlington, Vermont, on the 29th annual Free Cone Day

Story and photos by Sally Hale

Dean Overbaugh is early.

Since 11:07 a.m., the South Burlington resident has stood, the first in line, outside the solid glass door of 36 Church Street in anticipation of its April 17 noon opening. Over the ensuing 40 minutes, approximately 130 people join him, forming a line that wraps around the corner of the brick-covered building. Overbaugh, who is attending his third consecutive Free Cone Day and who is undeterred by the 34 degree temperature, has one problem.

He's allergic to ice cream.

"I make an allowance for today; I don't come to Ben & Jerry's unless it's Free Cone Day," Overbaugh says. "I love the different flavors. I haven't tried all of them, just four or five. I might get one with fudge today. I keep reading about the health benefits of almonds, so maybe I'll try something with almonds."

Overbaugh pauses.

"Or maybe I'll get chocolate. Or strawberry. Hopefully, by 12:45 I'll already have had another two or three flavors."

Overbaugh is not alone: by 8 p.m., his and others' multiple trips to the ice cream counter will have contributed to the scooping of over 5,000 cones. Twenty-nine flavorful years in the making, this year's Free Cone Day traces its roots to 1978. As stated on their official website, on May 5 of that year Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream in a converted gas station located on the corner of downtown Burlington's Paul and College Streets. One year later, the duo hosted the premier Free Cone Day, an ice cream saturated event to honor the store's first anniversary. And the scoop – or scope – extends beyond Burlington's borders: virtually every Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop in the nation – and in the world - participates in the eight-hour event. In 2005, over one million cones were distributed internationally, which, according to a 2006 Ben & Jerry's press release, translates into 250,000 pounds, or 125 tons, of ice cream. And Free Cone Day was created for one – sweet – reason.

"It was a way of saying 'Thank you' to the customers," says manager Amanda Stasiowski. "In the past, it was the last Tuesday in April, but it was bumped up this year; it's always on a Tuesday from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m. Last year, we distributed between 8,000 and 10,000 cones – the line is always down the block. People come through the line three or four times - they can come as many times as they want - and they start getting in line at 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m."

One such person is UVM student Olivia Caccavo, 19, who was the second person in line – by accident.

"We thought it opened at 11:00," says Caccavo, who is a fan of Chunky Monkey. "It normally opens at 11:00."

Accompanying her is third-in-line Christine Dannies, 18, whose grey sweatshirt hood is pulled snuggly around her face to block the April wind. The UVM freshman has one goal in mind. "You just want ice cream," Dannies says.

"Last year, we distributed between 8,000 and 10,000 cones – the line is always down the block."

This simple request, however, requires some not-so-simple planning. A large staff, in numbers reaching 10 to 15, must be secured to handle the influx of customers. A month earlier, the mayor of Burlington - one of three "celebrity" scoopers - was recruited for scoop duty. While the same individuals don't serve ice cream for the solid eight hours, they may, according to Stasiowski, be recruited to hand out "flavor cards," laminated lists of the ice creams offered behind the counter, or to monitor the ever-increasing lines. Someone must be restocking the ice cream during the eight-hour marathon ("We have a lot of freezers," says Stasiowski) while another is on "cone control." In the past, there has even been a person dressed in a, yes, cow costume.

"They keep flooding into the store. We don't tell anyone no."

"People keep coming, constantly, all day," says staff worker Kaylan Livsey, a Black Raspberry fan who describes the event as organized chaos. "We have a lot more scoopers, guest scoopers, celebrity scoopers, a lot more staff. In the past, we have had more than 15 scoopers at a time, and we have people directing the line. They keep flooding into the store. We don't tell anyone no."

And they come out in throngs: by 2 p.m., roughly 250 people have congregated outside the corner building. At 4 p.m., one of the peak hours, the line reaches to the end of Church street with a staggering 600 plus people. Once inside, customers, who are greeted at the door by a staff member who ushers them in in groups of around 10, stand in line yet again. When one of the seven or more scoopers is available, he or she will typically thrust an ice-cream scoop in the air; a staff member, complete with a silver-colored tasseled "wand," then points the customer in the direction of the free scooper.

"It seems like everyone in Burlington comes."

Don Rose, a pianist who played at the original 1978 Ben & Jerry's gas station-cum-ice cream store, sits at a keyboard, singing such self-penned tunes as "Scooper Blues," while the WCAX-TV News Channel 3 crew maneuvers its equipment over the black and white checkerboard floor. Celebrity scoopers Mayor Bob Kiss, 101.3 DJ Steve Cormier and Channel 3 news member Jack Thurston are outfitted in the traditional lime-colored t-shirts and make a blur of green as they steadily scoop, cone after cone, with the other five workers. "I think reporting the news is a lot less work," Thurston says to the camera. The flavor cards rotate through the crowds freely, with a list of over 20 ice creams, complete with one sentence descriptions, prepared on laminated paper. The creamy confections include New York Super Fudge Chunk, a pecan, walnut, and almond concoction; Chocolate Therapy, which consists of chocolate cookies and chocolate pudding; the brown sugar saturated Bananas on the Rum, and the classic Cherry Garcia. Two new flavors for 2007, Crème Brule and Cinnabon, are also featured.

"On Free Cone Day, we don't sell anything; no pints, no cakes, nothing. We only distribute free scoops of ice cream," Stasiowski says. "Some shops limit choices of ice cream to make it easier, but we have all our flavors."

And they have people coming through the line one time, two times, three times – or more.

"You keep getting repeaters," Overbaugh says. "Between 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., 4 p.m. are the peak numbers – people keep coming back as the day wears on."

One such person is Overbaugh himself: by 12:15 p.m., he has received his second cone; he orders his third at 12:25 p.m., and he walks out with his fourth cone at roughly 12:45 p.m.

"I will," Overbaugh says, "be drinking a lot of Lipton tea later."

Burlington resident Erinn Simon, who professes a weakness for the flavors Heath Bar Crunch, vanilla, and coffee, conversely plans to go through the line once – and only once.

"We've been coming the past three years, for him," Simon nods to the sandy-haired toddler, Eli, in her stroller. "He's a chocolate fan." (Today he will, however, surprise his mother by requesting vanilla.) "My husband and I were just talking this morning about the lack of advertising. It's something Burlington people just know about - it seems like everyone in Burlington comes."

Indeed, when the last scoop is hung up an estimated 5,500 cones of ice cream have been distributed over the eight hour period. That, however, does not represent one cone per person; Stasiowski noted that there were "quite a few" repeaters, with the same individuals circling through the block-long line six or seven times. Although the store typically closes at 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, the staff, as is tradition, closed the store at 8 p.m. and went to local restaurant American Flatbread for dinner – a meal that may or may not have included ice cream.

"Everything went smoothly," says Stasiowski, whose favorite flavor "this week" is Triple Caramel Chunk. "It's crazy – your adrenaline gets going. It's a great day to be here."

What's your favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor?

A local motion

"We were excited. We weren't sure what to expect."

The "we" Todd Taylor, marketing manager, is referring to is Local Motion, a non-profit organization which was this years' recipient of the tips, or donations, collected during Free Cone Day. Although all cones are, of course, free of charge during the event, tips are welcome. And this year, all proceeds collected during the day went to Local Motion.

"I just counted the money, and we raised $114," Taylor says. "Our goal is to promote walking, biking - an active lifestyle. We are concerned with safety and a community's infrastructure: we want good sidewalks, bike paths, and bike lanes, and we advocate for those things."

Since its incorporation in 1999, Local Motion has been in high gear. Highlights include Cycle the City, a 10-mile "historic loop" bicycle ride, which, as stated on their website, was led in 2000 by the Mayors of Burlington, Plattsburgh, N.Y., and Quebec's St. Jean Sur Richelieu. In 2003, Local Motion commenced the three-hour Cycle the City guided tours. A $2.6 million bond vote was secured for the construction of sidewalks and paths in Williston, V.T., in 2004, and in 2005 the organization hosted its premier Vermont-to-Montreal Bike Tour. Local Motion is currently gearing up for "Way to Go!," a yearly campaign launched in 2004 which, from May 6 to May 12, encourages commuters to either walk, bike, or carpool to work.

"We got a lot signed up for 'Way to Go' (at Free Cone Day)," Taylor says. "We've had a very positive response. It's a state-wide challenge. There's a recreational aspect: you can build a community through a carpool, and it's an excellent way to get active this summer, and to get healthy. By biking, you reduce your cost at the pump, and you save a lot of resources."

With 11 year-round members, Taylor says they're hoping to expand their "small but growing" non-profit organization.

"We have a lot of volunteers," Taylor says. "But we are always looking for more."