Standard goes bananas for second year in a row

Rick Wilson Jr. of Class A Auto Center uses his version of a monkey wrench to prepare for the Standard’s Going Bananas celebration this Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. (Margaret Hobbs photo)

School is out and it’s time to kick off the summer. If your idea of summer fun includes a free banana split, you’ll probably want to stop by the Southern Standard office this Friday.

For the second year in a row, the Standard is Going Bananas. That means we’ll be giving away free banana splits between 2 and 4 p.m. as part of our Going Bananas celebration.

In addition to free ice cream, the Standard isn’t monkeying around when it comes to discount subscription offers. From 2 to 4 p.m., the savings will be over $16 on the price of a one-year subscription. Six-month and three-month subscriptions will also be discounted 25 percent.

To provide extra motivation to visit our office – if a free banana split isn’t enough – there will also be registration for a new gas grill to be given away courtesy of the Standard.

“Last year, the Banana Day turnout was unbelievable,” said Standard publisher Patricia Zechman, who said the Standard gave away over 600 banana splits. “So many people stopped by for a free banana split, we were constantly running back and forth to the store.”

Standard general manager Sharon Patrick was the person doing the running back and forth, much to her disbelief.

“I thought maybe we would have a couple hundred people, but not 600,” said Patrick. “I think I bought everybody in town out of bananas.”

In addition to the gas grill giveaway, a number of local businesses are also getting into the banana spirit by offering promotions of their own. Barr’s Furniture, for example, is giving away a swivel rocker while JCPenney is offering a free gift card and Meadows Homes is giving away a framed picture.

Banana Day
When: Friday
Where: Southern Standard office
Time: 2-4 p.m.