While Monday, April 15 is tax day, Kona Ice is celebrating its national company-wide “Chill Out” Day to help relieve the stress of tax day, by giving away a free cup of shaved ice for a two-hour period.

Craig and Carrie Munhall, owners of Kona Ice Salisbury, participated in this annual community giveback event last year and will once again be offering a complimentary cup of shaved ice to all visitors and providing some lively tropical tunes from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bell Tower Green, 120 S. Church St., Salisbury.

Craig Munhall said that the couple bought their franchise, which is based solely out of Salisbury and some of the surrounding area, and will be out in the community giving back for this their second Chill Out Day.

“Shaved ice has a season, it’s warm-weather friendly, Munhall said, and “hopefully the weather will be warm, and if you’re out and about, and you want to chill out and take a moment for yourself, why not come and get something that’s free. There’s not enough free stuff in the world.” 

In a release, it said that Tony Lamb founded Kona Ice in 2007 and launched its first Kona Entertainment Vehicle (KEV) in Florence, Kentucky.

The company is one that gives back, Munhall said. “We do fundraisers and so a lot of times when we are out and about selling Kona Ice, where we are located, we are usually raising money for the host if we are selling off the truck.”

Since inception, the release said, Kona Ice has given back more than $180 million back to neighborhood schools, organizations and teams. Today, Kona Ice has grown to more than 2,600 mobile units that serve 49 states across the country.

As part of their commitment to giving back to the community, Munhall said, “we just do a general give back for all of our fans and for everybody’s who’s never experienced us to come and just get a taste of what we are about,” which is what visitors can do on this special Chill Out Day.

Kona Ice has been named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 list for 11 consecutive years, earning a spot on the Franchise 500 Hall of Fame, and most recently being named No. 1 in the “Frozen Desserts” and “Ice Cream” categories. The brand has earned many other nationwide, industry and local awards, the release said. For more information, go to www.kona-ice.com.