Spring equinox: Rita’s, Dairy Queen celebrate with free giveaways

Dairy Queen and Rita’s are celebrating the start of spring by offering free ice cream and Italian ice.

Dairy Queen announced will offer a free ice cream cone during its fourth annual “Free Cone Day,” on Tuesday, to mark the start of spring. The company will offer one free, small vanilla cone per person at participating, non-mall locations.

Rita’s also announced that it will give away free Italian ice, something it has done every year for more than 20 years. The company gave away almost 1 million cups of Italian ice in just a nine-hour period last year.

While the companies are offering freebies to celebrate the start of spring, another major storm is headed toward New England and the mid-Atlantic. The storm, the fourth to hit the East Coast in less than three weeks, is expected on Tuesday.