Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 19, 1991 TAG: 9102190224
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
How about Crazy Eights?
That's what 27-year-old Mike Reed of Roanoke has been playing while trying to win a new car from K-92 radio and Valley Motorsport.
Reed was one of seven people at Valley View Mall who made it to the 72-hour mark of the "Kiss-Off" contest as of 7 p.m. Monday.
The publicity stunt started Friday night with 100 contestants, all with one goal - to be the last standing kisser and win a choice of one of three cars from the dealership.
Each contestant was required to place his or her lips on a small plastic mat on the roof of one of approximately 12 new cars inside the mall. Participants received a 10-minute break each hour.
Reed's wife, Melinda, has been by his side for much of his attempt. "Three or four days of standing up is better than three or four years of car payments," she said.
During one of his breaks, Reed said the whole thing was his mother's idea. "I thought about it for a week" before deciding to go for it.
He and his wife have been playing Crazy Eights with a deck of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cards. He also has passed the time by reading all the volumes of Truly Tasteless Jokes he could get his hands on. Sunday, he watched the Daytona 500 on a portable TV.
The pain in his lips and his legs almost made him give up a few times. But by Monday night he was determined to go on. "It's too late to quit," he said.
by CNB