DAILY DIRT: Looks like I’m not alone in liking Casey’s pizza

The only thing better than a Casey’s pizza? How about a Casey’s pizza with PEZ? … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 836 of The Daily Dirt.

1. I’m always happy when Muddy River News sports director Matt Schuckman sends me to cover an event at Camp Point Central High School.

Why you ask? Because on the way back I automatically pull into the Casey’s General Store parking lot for a slice (or two) of pizza. 

It’s a perfect refueling stop for The Big Guy.

And apparently, I am not alone when it comes to stopping at Casey’s for some pizza.

Latest figures show the Iowa-based Casey’s has moved into the No. 5 position among the nation’s largest pizza chains, trailing only Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Little Caesar’s and Papa John’s.

Casey’s has been in the pizza business since 1984. It now sells more than 25 million whole pizzas a year, along with 75 million individual slices.

Casey’s now has 2,400 stores in 16 states. 

Speaking of pizza, here are America’s five favorite toppings, according to pizzatoday.com:

• 1. Pepperoni.
• 2. Sausage
• 3. Mushroom
• 4. Extra cheese
• 5. Bacon
• Honorable mention: Chicken, onion, peppers, ham, black olives.

2. Strange, but true.

Here are three brand names that are actually acronyms: 

PEZ: In 1927, Austrian Eduard Haas III invented a peppermint candy as an alternative to smoking. The brand name PEZ comes from three letters in “PfeffErminZ,” the German word for peppermint. The candy was originally packaged in small metal tins, and the first iteration of the mechanical dispenser came out in 1949. PEZ was introduced in the U.S. in 1952, and the popular toy head dispensers appeared in 1957, starting with a Halloween-themed witch. The candy is now sold in 90 countries, and there have been more than 1,400 different characters created for the dispensers.

GEICO: The name of this insurance company kind of sounds like the anthropomorphic green gecko that serves as the brand’s mascot and spokescreature. But GEICO is absolutely an acronym: Leo Goodwin (a former employee of USAA Insurance) and his wife, Lillian, founded the company in 1936 as Government Employees Insurance Co. Billionaire investment guru Warren Buffett was an early investor.

LEGO: Scientists estimate that at some point, every person on Earth will step barefoot on a piece of LEGO. OK, not really, but these plastic interlocking bricks, first introduced in 1949, are one of the world’s most popular toys, with more than 60 billion bricks now being produced each year. The Danish phrase “Leg Godt,” which translates to “play well,” is the origin of this brand’s acronym.

3. Raise your hand if you’re tired of it being dark around 5 p.m.

Yeah, me too.

As of today, we are roughly two months away from the return if Daylight Saving Time (DST). On Sunday, March 10 at 2 a.m., we will again “spring forward” when we move our clocks ahead an hour.

And if you’re one of those who like to mark stuff on your calendars, Nov. 3 is when we revert back to the idiotic “fall back” rule and move our clocks back an hour.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — If the weatherman cooperates tonight, I’ll be in Camp Point to cover the annual CSE girls basketball tournament. Look out, Casey’s, Daddy’s comin’ home!

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. A hospitality room AND Casey’s pizza? Break out the Tide pen!