Old dogs and new clothes. Young models and experienced business owners. Tennis balls and milk bones decorating the walls.

Where could all of these things possibly have mixed? Only at Southern Bank’s annual Wind Down Wednesday. Last month’s event, which took place at the Southern Shores Southern Bank, was an infusion of food, fun and festivities for the bank employees, customers and invited guests.

Southern Bank began Wind Down Wednesdays last year, taking place in the offseason months of January, February and March. A Wednesday is chosen each month to showcase a Southern Bank customer’s business, restaurant, store, etc. However, for the March edition of Wind Down Wednesday, a collection of customers and businesses came together to make an event that was anything short of winding down.

“So when I asked Jill Bennett at Birthday Suits to do Wind Down Wednesday, she said, ‘Well, what will I do?’ We said, ‘Do a fashion show,’ ” said Susan Clissold, the vice president of Southern Bank. “Renee Landry came to our previous Wind Down Wednesday and said, ‘Wow, I wanna do this, so what can I do?’ So her and Jill got put together. Renee did the event and Jill did the fashion show.”

Landry, who runs Renee Landry Events, was introduced to Wind Down Wednesdays after attending the one in February hosted by Steamers. After getting involved, she created the overall theme of the event

“I came up with the concept of old dogs and new clothes. I was more of the visuals,” Landry said. “I polled in search of the dogs on Facebook and then we went through the oldest dogs.”

The biggest challenge was decorating the interior of the bank, as Landry stated it was “hard to make the bank look funky.” Thankfully, the theme of the event allowed for a pretty inquisitive design.

“We had 400 donated tennis balls from Pine Island and we screwed hooks in them so they would hang (across the bank),” Clissold said. “We drilled holes in milk bones so they would hang as well.”

Fifteen models were paired with the old dogs chosen to display Birthday Suits’ collection of outfits. The models then showcased their attire and dogs through a makeshift runway in the middle of the bank amidst a lively crowd, all accompanied by music and food.

“Jill does Couture by the Shore, which is an Outer Banks Relief Foundation event fashion show, so Jill has a lot of models she uses. She picked some and then we chose three employees,” Clissold said. “Most of (the models), Jill picked, and then Renee’s daughter, Scout Landry, and her friends.”

Scout, a freshman at First Flight, got involved in the show after Bennett found out she models. Being one of the models in the event was a great experience for her.

“It was fun because my mom designed the event and I got to be in it with a bunch of my friends,” Scout said.

The event was a major hit on social media, with an immense number of photos and videos being posted to Facebook. All proceeds of the event went to the Outer Banks Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). It’s safe to say the real goal of Wind Down Wednesday was reached.

“What we’re trying to do is setting ourselves apart; I mean, look how many banks we have here,” Clissold said. “We’re trying to be different. People want to be a part of it because it is fun, even though we only have it for an hour or two.”