on the move

New Blue Bell truck doles out free ice cream across Dallas this summer

Blue Bell Ice Cream Lone Star Scoop Tour

Blue Bell's Lone Star Scoop Tour is mooving into Dallas throughout the summer.

Blue Bell Ice Cream/Facebook

Everyone deserves a cold treat in the sweltering summer heat, and an iconic Texas creamery is going on tour to deliver free ice cream across Dallas-Fort Worth and North Texas for the rest of the summer.

Texas' beloved Blue Bell is celebrating 119 years with its new Lone Star Scoop Tour stopping in local Texas communities all year long. A specially decorated Blue Bell ice cream truck and trailer will cruise across the state to give out free hand-dipped ice cream and frozen snacks, host giveaways, and offer special merchandise for sale.

Since the tour's debut in its hometown of Brenham in March 2026, Blue Bell has already made stops across Central Texas and Houston.

Now, the Lone Star Scoop Tour will kick off its North Texas leg at the Benbrook Walmart (8840 Benbrook Blvd.) on Friday, July 10. It will continue to more than 60 different locations across the Metroplex over the next seven weeks, with a final stop at Market Street in Wichita Falls (4590 Kell W. Blvd.) on Friday, August 28.

This leg of the tour also coincides with the launch of Blue Bell's newest ice cream flavor — Chocolate Lava Cake — released in commemoration of National Ice Cream Month in July. The limited-edition flavor combines the creamery's classic vanilla ice cream with decadent pieces of chocolate cake, chocolate sundae sauce, and a picturesque swirl of dark chocolate fudge. The flavor will be available in half gallon and pint sizes for a limited time, Blue Bell says.

New cities and dates will be added to the Texas-wide ice cream tour every month. Dates and times may change due to weather or unforeseen circumstances, so check the website for updates.

Here's where you can find the Blue Bell ice cream truck across the Metroplex this summer:

Friday, July 10
Benbrook — Walmart, 8840 Benbrook Blvd., Benbrook, TX 76126; 10am – 12pm

Monday, July 13
Forney — Kroger, 500 Marketplace Blvd., Forney, TX 75126; 10am – 12pm

Tuesday, July 14
Gun Barrel City — Walmart, 1200 W. Main St., Gun Barrel City, TX 75156; 10am – 12pm
Mabank — Brookshire’s, 1200 S. 3rd St., Mabank, TX 75147; 1 – 3pm

Wednesday, July 15
Crandall — Brookshire Brother’s, 102 W. Gleason St., Crandall, TX 75114; 10am – 12pm
Dallas — Migalito’s, 1050 S Beltline Rd, Dallas, TX 75253; 1 – 3pm

Thursday, July 16
Dallas — El Rio Grande Latin Market, 3035 N. Buckner Blvd., Dallas, TX 75228; 9 – 11am

Friday, July 17
Royse City — Walmart, 494 I-30, Royse City, TX 75189; 10am – 12pm
Fate — Fresh by Brookshire’s, 5100 I-30, Fate, TX 75189; 1 – 3pm

Monday, July 20
Midlothian — Kroger, 2200 FM 663, Midlothian, TX 76065; 10am – 12pm
Midlothian — Brookshire’s, 1400 E. Main St., Midlothian, TX 76065; 1 – 3pm

Tuesday, July 21
Midlothian — Tom Thumb, 4221 FM 1387, Midlothian, TX 76065; 10am – 12pm
Waxahachie — Tom Thumb, 1940 N Hwy 77, Waxahachie, TX 75165; 1 – 3pm

Wednesday, July 22
Cedar Hill — Kroger, 235 FM 1382, Cedar Hill, TX 75104; 10am – 12pm
Cedar Hill — Albertsons, 427 E. FM 1382, Cedar Hill, TX 75104; 1 – 3pm

Thursday, July 23
Arlington — Kroger, 5701 W. Pleasant Ridge Rd., Arlington, TX 76016; 10am – 12pm
Arlington — Albertsons, 301 Southwest Plaza, Arlington, TX 76016; 1 – 3pm

Friday, July 24
Arlington — Tom Thumb, 1701 W. Randol Mill Rd., Arlington, TX 76012; 10am – 12pm
Arlington — Kroger, 2210 S. Fielder Rd., Arlington, TX 76013; 1 – 3pm

Saturday, July 25
Arlington — National Medal of Honor Museum; 1861 AT&T Way, Arlington, TX 76011 11am – 2pm

Monday, July 27
Lewisville — Kroger, 4620 SH 121, Lewisville, TX 75056; 10am – 12pm
The Colony — Scheels, 4450 Destination Dr., The Colony, TX 75056; 1 – 3pm

Tuesday, July 28
Denton — Kroger, 1592 S Loop 288, Denton, TX 76205; 10am – 12pm
Denton — Albertsons, 2321 W. University Dr., Denton, TX 76201; 1 – 3pm

Wednesday, July 29
Irving — Savers Cost Plus, 504 N O’Connor Rd, Irving, TX 75061; 10am – 12pm
Irving — Fiesta, 1145 W. Airport Fwy., Irving, TX 75062; 1 – 3pm

Thursday, July 30
Gainesivlle — Scivally’s Grocery, 2808 US 82, Gainesville, TX 76240; 9:30 – 11:30am
Sanger — Tom Thumb, 1413 W. Chapman Dr., Sanger, TX 76266, 1 – 3pm

Friday, July 31
Carrolton — Tom Thumb, 4112 N. Josey Ln., Carrollton, TX 75007; 10am – 12pm
Aubrey — Kroger, 26585 US-380, Aubrey, TX 76227; 2 – 4pm

Saturday, August 1
Hickory Creek — Walmart, 1035 Hickory Creek Blvd, Hickory Creek, TX 76210; 10am – 12pm

Monday, August 3
Celina — Walmart, 400 Icy Trail, Celina, TX 75009; 9:30 – 11:30 am
Frisco — Market Street; 11999 Dallas Pkwy., Frisco, TX 75034, 1 – 3pm

Tuesday, August 4
Anna — Brookshire’s, 1325 W White St, Anna, TX 75409; 9:30 – 11:30am
Melissa — Kroger, 2721 Sam Rayburn Hwy, Melissa, TX 75454; 1 – 3pm

Wednesday, August 5
McKinney — Tom Thumb, 6800 Virginia Pkwy, McKinney, TX 75071; 9:30 – 11:30am
McKinney — Tom Thumb, 3001 S. Hardin Blvd., McKinney, TX 75070; 1 – 3pm

Thursday, August 6
Allen — Kroger, 1212 E, Bethany Dr,, Allen, TX 75002; 9:30 – 11:30am
Allen — Kroger, 1210 N. Greenville Ave., Allen, TX 75002; 1 – 3pm

Friday, August 7
McKinney — Kroger; 1801 N. Lake Forest Dr., McKinney, TX 75071; 9:30 – 11:30am
McKinney — Walmart, 1721 N. Custer Rd., McKinney, TX 75071; 1 – 3pm

Saturday, August 8
McKinney — Walmart; 2041 Redbud Blvd, McKinney, TX 75069; 11am – 2pm

Monday, August 10
Dallas — Foodland Markets, 1314 South Buckner, Dallas, TX 75217; 10am – 12pm
Dallas — Foodland Markets, 8411 Lake June Rd., Dallas, TX 75217; 1 – 3pm

Tuesday, August 11
Dallas — Tom Thumb,7700 W. NW Hwy., Dallas, TX 75225; 10am – 12pm
Dallas — Tom Thumb, 5809 E. Lovers Ln., Dallas, TX 75206; 1 – 3pm

Wednesday, August 12
Wylie — Kroger, 2608 W FM 544, Wylie, TX 75098; 10am – 12pm

Thursday, August 13
Dallas — Tom Thumb, 7117 Inwood Rd,, Dallas, TX 75209; 10am – 12pm
Dallas — Kroger, 5665 E. Mockingbird Ln., Dallas, TX 75206; 1 – 3pm

Friday, August 14
Argyle — Tom Thumb, 1046 Market Way, Argyle, TX 76226; 11am – 2pm

Monday, August 17
Glen Rose — Brookshire’s, 607 SW Big Bend Trail Glen Rose, TX 76043; 10am – 12pm
Granbury — Kroger, 3915 E Hwy 377, Granbury, TX 76049; 2 – 4pm

Tuesday, August 18
Fort Worth — Albertsons, 9300 Clifford St, Fort Worth, TX 7610; 10am – 12pm

Wednesday, August 19
Grapevine — Grapevine Farmer’s Market, 520 S. Main St ., #203, Grapevine, TX 76051; 11am – 2pm

Thursday, August 20
Fort Worth — Kroger, 113 E. Bonds Ranch Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76131; 10am – 12pm
Fort Worth — Kroger, 4750 W. Bailey Boswell Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76179; 1 – 3pm

Friday, August 21
Fort Worth — Kroger, 1653 Basswood Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76131; 10am – 12pm
Saginaw — Albertsons, 1201 N Saginaw Blvd, Saginaw, TX 76179; 1 – 3pm

Monday, August 24
Southlake — Kroger, 2110 E. Southlake Blvd., Southlake, TX 76092; 10am – 12pm
Colleyville — Market Street, 5605 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville, TX 76034; 1 – 3pm

Tuesday, August 25
Decatur — Walmart, 800 US-287, Decatur, TX 76234; 10am – 12pm
Bridgeport — Brookshire’s, 1203 US Hwy 380, Bridgeport, TX 76426; 1 – 3pm

Wednesday, August 26
Graham — United Supermarkets, 1229 TX 16, Graham, TX 76450; 10am – 12pm
Olney — Stewart’s Food Store, 1204 W. Main St., Olney, TX 76374; 2 – 4pm

Thursday, August 27
Burkburnett — United Supermarkets, 311 S. Ave. D, Burkburnett, TX 76354; 1 – 3pm

Friday, August 28
Wichita Falls — Market Street, 4590 Kell W. Blvd., Wichita Falls, TX 76309; 11am – 2pm

blue bell ice cream tour dallas fort worth free ice cream

Movie Review

The Magic Faraway Tree is a whimsical family lark that fails to take root

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Andrew Garfield, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Claire Foy, Phoenix Laroche, and Billie Gadson in The Magic Faraway Tree.

With kids and families always on the hunt for entertainment, it’s typically a safe bet for a movie studio to offer up something new, even if it is a film based on an old property. The Magic Faraway Tree, based on a series of books that started in the 1930s, is a very old property, one that its filmmakers have tried to liven up with a few stars, a lot of whimsy, and a boatload of CGI.

The Thompson family, led by stay-at-home dad Tim (Andrew Garfield) and breadwinner mom Polly (Claire Foy), are forced to move to a rundown country home when Polly gets laid off. The kids - Joe (Phoenix Laroche), Fran (Billie Gadson), and Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy) - are used to the perks of city life like wifi and electricity, and each of them rebels in their own way to their new lot in life.

Fran, enticed by a fairy named Silky (Nicola Coughlan), is the first to venture out of the house, making her way to a magic tree that transports her to a world full of strange characters like Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), and more. Her adventures there not only broaden the world she thought she knew, but may be the key to helping her ailing family.

Directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby (Paddington 2, Wonka), the film is a pleasant enough lark, but it fails to fully capture the imagination. The five-member family has a lot going on, from an initially-mute Fran to a domestic situation that raises more questions than it answers. The film tries to incorporate an anti-technology message through Tim’s hatred of a smart refrigerator (voiced by Judi Dench!) and the kids' addictions to devices, but it’s quickly shed in favor of other options.

Once Fran makes it to the Magic Faraway Tree, there’s a nice shift in the storytelling, but it’s unclear what the ultimate goal is. It’s a good idea to have Fran, the youngest of the children, convince her older, more cynical siblings about the virtues of the magic world, but the conflict in the real world doesn’t seem to rise to the level needed for the escape the tree provides.

There also seems to be a missing link in the storytelling for viewers to understand the importance of the fantastical characters. The visuals of seeing Moonface and his crescent moon-shaped hair, a man with a suit full of banging pots, and more are fun for a while, but not enough to carry the whole film. A last-minute revelation feels like it was something that should have been disclosed much earlier to help strengthen the emotions of the story.

A two-time Oscar nominee, Garfield is making his first foray into family movies (if you don’t count playing Spider-Man), and while he does a good job, he doesn’t make the best fit for the semi-goofy role. The same goes for the Emmy-winning Foy, who isn’t given much of anything to do. The movie puts the story on the shoulders of the three child actors, and while each of them acquit themselves well, none of them are so outstanding as to be noteworthy.

With nearly 90-year-old source material, The Magic Faraway Tree needed to be something truly special to stand out in the 21st century movie world. Unfortunately, it features a mostly forgettable story that features some fun visuals, a couple of cute kids, and not much else.

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The Magic Faraway Tree is now playing in theaters.

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