Ben & Jerry's cancels Free Cone Day

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stephen Williams

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CAPITAL REGION

For some people, the best thing about the middle of April is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s. But this year, it will fall victim to concerns about the novel coronavirus.

The Vermont-based corporation announced Tuesday that the annual event is being canceled at all its locations due to concerns about spreading the coronavirus. The cancelation applies to all Ben & Jerry’s shops, including those in Saratoga Springs and Albany.

“We are crushed,” Saratoga Springs franchise owner Patrick Pipino said in a Twitter message, confirming the event, which brought long lines to the shop a block off Broadway, was canceled or postponed, with no new date scheduled.

In a corporate statement, Ben & Jerry’s called Free Cone Day “a special time to thank fans for their love with free Fairtrade ice cream all around the world.

“This year, some of our scoop shops in communities around the world will be unable to take part in Free Cone Day due to precautions put in place by local Governments around large public gatherings, considering the increasing presence of COVID-19,” the statement continued. “So, to stand in solidarity with ice cream lovers everywhere, we have made the difficult decision to postpone Free Cone Day this year. We hope to reschedule our global Free Cone Day event for later in the year, when we know more.”

The company is known for its super-premium ice creams with clever flavor names and its efforts to be socially conscious.