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That’s one shell of a milestone.
An 80-year-old man finally cracked a nearly century-old oyster offer at an Alabama restaurant that’s been dangling the deal since the 1930s by simply walking in with his 99-year-old father.
Jimmy Rush said he had his 80th birthday all planned out — by finally cashing in on a promotion hanging on the wall at Wintzell’s Oyster House in Mobile that he’s been staring at since he and his pops, Jim, began eating there every year before riding in a Mardi Gras parade in 1972, Fox 10 reported.
The sign offered “free oysters to any man 80 years old accompanied by his father.”
Jim’s other son, Carl Rush, said the family had been talking about the deal for decades — so when his older brother turned 80, they made it a full family affair and went to collect.
“We felt like our dad was going to make it to 100 because he’s in great health. We’ve been talking about it as a family for 25, 30 years,” Carl told the station.
Jimmy’s 80th birthday became a big event, with about 60 family members and friends gathering at Wintzell’s.
“Never thought about any birthdays except my 80th,” Jimmy said. “That’s the one I was looking forward to — because of the sign.”
As promised, Wintzell’s served Jimmy a dozen free oysters.
When the family asked if anyone had ever managed to pull off the deal before, the restaurant said no.
“We’d asked the bartender had anyone else did it? No one had,” Jimmy said. “So we said, ‘We’ll be the first.”
“We’re the number ones,” Jim, a 99-year-old World War II and Korean War veteran, told Fox 10.
“Most people read that sign behind the bar and laugh,” the oyster bar posted on Facebook.
“But tonight, Jimmy Rush walked in on his 80th birthday with his father, James Rush, 99, right beside him, and turned one of Wintzell’s rarest traditions into a real-life milestone.”
Carl said the family is already planning another run at the deal when he turns 80 in two years — when Jim would be 102.
“We will be back to do this all over again October of 2028 when I turn 80,” Carl told the station. “My dad says he’s going to make it, so that’s good enough for me.”
The nonagenarian, who said he’s in good health aside from his eyesight and takes no medication, said he’ll be there to watch both his sons enjoy their free dozen oysters.
Asked the secret to his longevity, he said it’s about taking it one day at a time.
“I’ve been very lucky and very well taken care of through my God,” Jim told Fox 10. “It worked out.”
