Friday Fun: Solstice Means It’s Summertime!

Today marks the Summer Solstice – and the beginning of summertime!

For a lot of folks, tradition is that the “official” start of summer occurs at Stonehenge – the 4,500 year-old Neolithic monument in England.  At 15:54 UTC (that’s 10:54 a.m. CDT) summer officially begins.  But for the thousands who gathered there in the darkness before sunrise today, the actual start is in the early morning hours when the sun peeks above Stonehenge’s Heel Stone (which leads up to the monument’s Stone Circle) and the first rays shine directly into the center of the circle … that’s the start of summer.

Now I’m not going to get all wonky with science about the Solstice – but I will share one illustration that gives a simple overview.  The earth’s 23.5-degree tilt on its axis puts those of us in the northern hemisphere as close to the sun as we’ll be … hence, SUMMER!

But there are two other related areas I want to cover.  The first is New York’s answer to Stonehenge: Manhattanhenge.

But instead of huge stones weighing up to 25-30 tons, they use skyscrapers to plot the exact alignment of the sun precisely dissecting the city’s grid of east-west cross streets.

 

But since Manhattan’s east-west streets are aligned at about a 29° angle clockwise from true east-west, they create Manhattanhenge a couple of weeks before and a couple of weeks after the Summer Solstice.  The exact date varies each year, depending on the date of the summer solstice, but they usually fall around May 28th and July 12th.

 

The colloquial usage of “henge” to refer to any place where the rising or setting sun lines up with the surrounding structures has spread.  Manhattanhenge is probably the best known, but other communities built on grid designs have their own “henges.”  There’s Chicagohenge (it occurs on the equinoxes), Torontohenge, Montrealhenge, and even MIThenge. 

In fact MIT was the first to notice this phenomenon down what has become called “The Infinite Corridor”.  It’s a corridor that links buildings numbered 7, 3, 10, 4, and 8 (from west to east), and it measures 825 feet (251 meters, 0.16 miles or 147 smoots) long.

And here’s my Chicagohenge:

But what I think you’ll really enjoy about today are all the FREEBIES and DISCOUNTS!

 

What better way to celebrate the beginning of summer than with some ice cream?  And Dairy Queen is offering a treat on the DQ mobile app and with any purchase Friday you’ll get a free small regular or dipped cone.  Download the app at www.dairyqueen.com/app.

But today is not only Summer Solstice day – but also National Smoothie Day (as well as National Selfie Day, Take Your Dog to Work Day, National Seashell Day and National Take Back the Lunch Break Day, according to NationalDayCalendar.com.)  So let’s hope there’s a smoothie vendor close to you offering a sweet treat:

Edible Arrangements: Get $1.99 smoothies or fruit cups (if they don’t sell smoothies) through Sunday.  The deal is available at stores and for in-store orders placed online with promo code SMOOTHIE.

Fruitlove: Get the new spoonable smoothie for free after a rebate from the Ibotta cashback app at select stores for National Smoothie Day.

Jamba: The chain, which recently changed its name from Jamba Juice, is giving away free small smoothies from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday.

La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Get a free Mocha Draft Latte with any purchase Friday at all café locations.

Nekter Juice Bar‏: Superfood smoothies are $5 Friday for rewards members at participating locations. Download the app at www.nekterjuicebar.com.

Planet Smoothie: From 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, get a free 16-ounce Mediterranean Monster smoothie. No purchase is necessary and limit one free smoothie while supplies last.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop: Through Friday, the chain is celebrating “Take Back Your Lunch Day” with a buy-one-get-one free offer on sandwiches, salads or Pick-Your-Pair.

Red Mango: Get 50% off any smoothie Friday.

Robeks Fresh Juices & Smoothies: Rewards members get triple rewards on all in-store and online purchases Friday. Sign up for the loyalty program at www.robeks.com.

Smoothie Factory: Smoothies are half price Friday.

Smoothie King: Use the chain’s Healthy Rewards app with a purchase Friday and get a free 20-ounce smoothie offer loaded on the app to redeem June 22-27. The free smoothie is limited to a $6 value. Get the app at www.smoothieking.com/healthy-rewards.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe: As part of its National Flip Flop Day promotion, the chain is collecting donations through June 30. Donate $5 or more and get a discount for 5% off your purchases for the rest of the year. Learn more at www.nationalflipflopday.com.

I had NO idea there were so many smoothie outlets.  I guess they’ve earned their Smoothies Day.  But other food emporiums also have some good offers celebrating summer today:

Boston Market: Bring in any sandwich – whether it’s homemade or from a competitor – between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and get a free Boston Market sandwich.

Carl’s Jr.: The chain’s 100 Days of Summer promotion features a variety of limited-time offers and contests through August 20^th.

Dunkin’:  At restaurants Friday through Sunday, DD Perks rewards members get one medium or large-sized iced and frozen beverages.

Wayback Burgers: Friday is the chain’s Free Shake Day. Get a free 12-ounce Black & White Milkshake, while supplies last at participating locations.

Wendy’s: Starting Friday and through July 14, get a free half-size Berry Burst Salad with any purchase using the Wendy’s mobile app.  

So get out there and start your summer right by joining in on our great American pastime: EATING!