5200 Bluffton Road Fort Wayne, IN 46809 | Daily 11AM-9PM
SERVING FORT WAYNE'S TASTIEST HOT DOGS AND COOLEST ICE CREAM
SINCE 2004!
OUR STORY
2003 - now
In 2003, two long-time Waynedale residents and friends, Michael Palmer and Skip Sandels were inspired to start a local restaurant that served the best coney dogs and ice cream in Fort Wayne.
During a family trip to Florida, Skip's son, Scot, came up with the new business name: The Stand. With a name in place and a location built along Bluffton Road, "The Stand" opened its doors on April 30, 2004.
Fast forward to today, the residents of Waynedale and visitors alike have enjoyed 18 years of coneys (a secret family recipe), ice cream, snacks, and treats.
We've been proud to offer delicious food and hope to continue to serve our families, friends, and new Stand fans for many years to come.
How the LeighAnn Marie Palmer Playground came to be at The Stand
On May 28, 1995, LeighAnn Marie Palmer’s life came to a tragic end when she accidentally drowned at Avalon Pool. LeighAnn was born on June 24, 1991 to Mike and Lisa Palmer and at the time she had two older brothers, Ryan and Zach.
One of Mike and Lisa’s greatest fears was people forgetting they had a daughter. To ensure LeighAnn’s beautiful life was remembered, the Palmer’s worked to establish a memorial at Avalon Pool. In 1999 family and friends worked to raise the necessary funds to build the memorial, which would come to be in the form a playground on her ninth birthday, June 24, 2000. They also established the LeighAnn Marie Palmer Foundation in 1996. The foundation hosted an annual golf outing for 15 years (until LeighAnn would have graduated high school) and raised over $10,000 each year for scholarships at St. Therese Catholic School for an 8th grade girl who would be attending Bishop Luers and for a Senior cheerleader at Bishop Luers to help with her
college tuition.
Sadly, in January 2020, Avalon Pool announced they were closing. The Palmer family (which added Matt in 1997 and Mick in 1998) did not want to see the playground torn down. Their solution was to move the playground to The Stand Coneys & Ice Cream, off Bluffton Road, next to Bobick’s Golf. The Stand is co-owned by the Palmer’s and Skip Sandels.
To continue the foundation and maintain LeighAnn’s memorial, the foundation decided to host a famous LeighAnn Marie Palmer golf outing. The support received was able to replenish the foundation to be able to financially support the move of the playground and continue to handout scholarships.
The Palmer family is thrilled to have the playground at its new “home”, The Stand. They are also so excited about how many children will be able to enjoy it and get to remember LeighAnn for years to come!