MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 19, 2026--
Just in time for the 2026 Banana Ball season, American Dairy Queen Corporation (ADQ), a leader in iconic treats and food, is turning up the fun and giving fans something to go bananas over. Today, the brand announced a new partnership with the Savannah Bananas, bringing together two fan-favorite brands to deliver unforgettable moments for fans all season long.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260219906887/en/
Serving up flips, fun and tasty treats, the partnership includes national TV spots and social content highlighting the brands’ shared love for flips, the launch of a new Savannah Banana-inspired DQ® Shake and a lineup of interactive fan experiences taking place during Savannah Bananas games across the country. The integrated campaign was developed in collaboration with DQ media agency of record, Spark Foundry and Publicis Sports.
“The Savannah Bananas are all about having fun, and creating unforgettable moments for our fans is at the heart of everything we do,” said Jared Orton, President at Savannah Bananas. “This season, we’re excited to elevate those experiences through our partnership with DQ. We share a mission of spreading joy to our fans and that’s exactly what we plan to do as partners."
The DQ and Savannah Bananas partnership will come to life in a variety of ways this season:
FANS GO BANANAS OVER NEW DQ SAVANNAH BANANAS™SPLIT SHAKE
To celebrate the new partnership, DQ is launching the ultimate home run for fans who love to mix things up – the Savannah Bananas™ Split Shake, available at participating DQ locations nationwide beginning February 23. Inspired by the legendary fun and wild creativity of the Savannah Bananas, the shake features DQ world-famous soft serve, blended with real milk, fresh banana, strawberries, and chocolatey shavings, all crowned with whipped topping.
Fans attending Savannah Bananas games this season will also have a chance to score a free DQ Shake. When a fan catches a foul ball – a signature Banana Ball moment that signals an out – the DQ Shake Snag* will be triggered, rewarding new DQ Rewards members with a free small shake, redeemable through the DQ app.
FAN FUN ON AND OFF THE FIELD
All season long, DQ and the Savannah Bananas will surprise fans with fun activations and giveaways. Ahead of each Savannah Bananas game, DQ will help hype up the crowd at the team’s pre-game pep rallies with treats, special offers and more.
Off the field, the Savannah Bananas may make pit stops at DQ locations while traveling to their next game, so keep an eye out for their bright yellow jerseys where you might just catch them flipping with a Blizzard Treat in-hand.
“Our partnership with the Savannah Bananas is a natural fit for DQ. We’re two brands that put the fan experience first, bring people together to create special memories, and of course, love to flip,” said Maria Hokanson, Executive Vice President of Marketing at American Dairy Queen Corporation (ADQ). “From pre-game pep rallies and foul-ball moments at Bananas games to stopping by DQ to try the new Savannah Bananas Split Shake, we’re excited to offer fans unforgettable fun all summer long.”
*Offer valid for a limited time in the DQ® App for DQ® Rewards members. Must redeem DQ® Rewards deal to receive offer; deals may take up to 24 hours to appear. At participating U.S. locations. Other terms apply.
About International Dairy Queen, Inc.
International Dairy Queen, Inc. (IDQ), based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the parent company of American Dairy Queen Corporation and Dairy Queen Canada, Inc. Through its subsidiaries, IDQ develops, licenses, and services a system of more than 7,800 DQ restaurants in more than 20 countries. IDQ is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. For more information, visit DairyQueen.com.
IDQUS for Food, Treats & Beverages - US
DQ announces partnership with Savannah Bananas, featuring a new Savannah Bananas™ Split Shake and fun for fans nationwide (Photo Credit: DQ)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is gathering Thursday with representatives from more than two dozen countries that have joined his Board of Peace — and several that have opted not to — for an inaugural meeting that will focus on reconstruction and building an international stabilization force for a war-battered Gaza, where a shaky ceasefire deal persists.
Trump announced ahead of the meeting that board members have pledged $5 billion for reconstruction, a fraction of the estimated $70 billion needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory decimated after two years of war. Members are expected to unveil commitments of thousands of personnel to international stabilization and police forces for the territory.
“We have the greatest leaders in the world joining the Board of Peace,” Trump told reporters earlier this week. “I think it has the chance to be the most consequential board ever assembled of any kind."
The board was initiated as part of Trump's 20-point peace plan to end the conflict in Gaza. But since the October ceasefire, Trump's vision for the board has morphed and he wants it to have an even more ambitious remit — one that will not only complete the Herculean task of bringing lasting peace between Israel and Hamas but will also help resolve conflicts around the globe.
But the Gaza ceasefire deal remains fragile and Trump's expanded vision for it has triggered fears the U.S. president is looking to create a rival to the United Nations. Trump earlier this week said he hoped the board would push the U.N. to “get on the ball.”
“The United Nations has great potential,” he said. “They haven’t lived up to the potential.”
Trump started the meeting by taking part in a family photo with officials from nations that have joined the board.
Most countries sent high-level officials, but a few leaders—including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Argentinian President Javier Milei, and Hungarian President Viktor Mihály Orbán—traveled to Washington for the gathering.
More than 40 countries and the European Union confirmed they were sending officials to Thursday’s meeting, according to a senior administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly. Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are among more than a dozen countries that have not joined the board but are taking part as observers.
The U.N. Security Council held a high-level meeting Wednesday on the ceasefire deal and Israel’s efforts to expand control in the West Bank. The U.N. session in New York was originally scheduled for Thursday but was moved up after Trump announced the board’s meeting for the same date and it became clear that it would complicate travel plans for diplomats planning to attend both.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters earlier this week that “at the international level it should above all be the U.N. that manages these crisis situations.” The Trump administration on Wednesday pushed back on the Vatican's concerns.
“This president has a very bold and ambitious plan and vision to rebuild and reconstruct Gaza, which is well underway because of the Board of Peace,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “This is a legitimate organization where there are tens of member countries from around the world.”
Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., also pushed back on skeptical allies, saying the board is “not talking, it is doing.”
“We are hearing the chattering class criticizing the structure of the board, that it’s unconventional, that it’s unprecedented,” Waltz said. “Again, the old ways were not working.”
Central to Thursday's discussions will be creating an armed international stabilization force to keep security and ensure the disarming of the militant Hamas group, a key demand of Israel and a cornerstone of the ceasefire deal.
But thus far, only Indonesia has offered a firm commitment to Trump for the proposed force. And Hamas has provided little confidence that it is willing to move forward on disarmament. The administration is “under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization” but has been encouraged by what mediators have reported back, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Subianto, the Indonesian president, pledged to work closely with other leading Islamic countries invited by Trump to “join in the endeavors to try to achieve lasting peace in Palestine.”
“We recognize there are still obstacles to be overcome, but at least my position is at least we have to try, and we have to do our best,” he said at an event at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, where he met with members of the business community.
On Thursday, updates are expected from the Gaza Executive Board, the operational arm of the board, about its efforts to create a functioning government system and services for the territory, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the broad outlines of the meeting.
Michael Hanna, U.S. program director at the International Crisis Group, a nonprofit group focused on preventing conflicts, suggested the skepticism some U.S. allies are showing is not unwarranted.
"Without any clear authorization for the expansion of its mandate beyond Gaza, it is unsurprising that many U.S. allies and partners have chosen to decline Trump’s offer to join the board," Hanna said. “Instead, many of the states most invested in Gaza’s future have signed up with the hope of focusing U.S. attention and encouraging Trump himself to use the influence and leverage he has with Israel.”
Associated Press writers Didi Tang in Washington, Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed reporting.
FILE - President Donald Trump's name is seen on the U.S. Institute of Peace building, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
