Thurs. June 12

There are numerous things - like Mermorial Day weekend or the recent mega-heatwave - that portend summer, which does not technically come upon us until June 21. One of those summer signs takes place at City Hall Plaza through Thursday June 12 from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. It's the Scooperbowl, of course, and that means ice cream, gallons and gallons of ice cream, 42 different kinds from 11 different suppliers. (This includes frozen yogurt and gelato and sorbet too.) Here's the deal: You pay $10 if you're 10 or over, $4 if you're 3-9 and the darn thing is free if you're under 3. And you get to eat ... all you want.

(Yes, if I were a street vendor out there, I'd be selling Tums at a premium during this stretch.) This creamy opportunity, no doubt, will clash with other thoughts you might be having about summer, like: how am I going to look in that bikini? That's one moral/ethical dilemma you'll have to puzzle out for yourself. One thing that might tip the, um, scales is this: Again, it's a benefit for the Jimmy Fund. Last year, they raised $250,000 for the Jimmy Fund bringing their total to over $2 million. So, you can eat all this sweet stuff, thinking that you're not just making your taste buds happy, but a lot of people at Dana Farber, too. Start the diet/gym thing on Friday. For more info try the numbers or website below.

City Hall Plaza, 617-632-5008 or 800-52-JIMMY www.scooperbowl.org