ST. GEORGE - It was only for a brief period of time, but 160 lucky St. George drivers were treated to gasoline for $1.06 per gallon at Fabulous Freddy's on Bluff Street on Wednesday.

Preparing for an onslaught of customers around 11 a.m., workers adjusted the price board to signify the new, temporary gasoline price, while partner Cherry Creek Radio station 106.1 began to spread the word of the deal over the airwaves.

"It's nice to offer this to people," said manager Brandon Campbell. "It's feel-good for everyone."

Within minutes, a line of cars was already snaking down 700 West. As time went on, the line grew even longer. Cars wrapped around the perimeter of Bluff Street Park, with some of the later drivers finding the end of the line a full two blocks away on 600 West.

Tokens were passed out to the first 160 drivers, who were then allowed to put 10.6 gallons in their vehicles at the price of $1.06 per gallon.

Those tokens vanished within an hour. Some of the people who were lucky enough to receive a token found themselves waiting nearly an hour for their turn at the pump. Those who bypassed the line and approached the gas pumps without a token were swiftly shooed away.

Driver Peggy Larsen said, however, the deal was simply too good to pass up.

"I just had my nails done, heard about it on the radio, and flipped a U-turn," she said. "I'm really grateful someone cares enough to do something about these gas prices."

Fellow driver Sean Hilsman said he heard about the deal from a friend's text message, though he admitted he didn't think it was real until he pulled up and saw the line.

"It's good advertising for them," he said of Fabulous Freddy's and Cherry Creek Radio. "I think it's a great idea."

With gas prices nearing $4 per gallon, the $1.06 price tag didn't hurt either.

According to AAA, the average price of unleaded gasoline in the United States currently hovers around $3.98 per gallon, while Utah averages about $3.70 per gallon. Statistics by the U.S. Dept. of Energy indicate gas prices haven't been close to $1 per gallon in the United States since the late 1990s.

Though Fabulous Freddy's has held similar events in Las Vegas, CFO Jeff Warnick said Wednesday was the first of what he expects to be many cheap gas events in St. George.

"When gas prices are high like this it affects all of us," he said. "We hope it saves customers a few dollars so they can use that money for other things."

Driver Debbie Patterson said rising gas prices keep her from spending money on things like travel, adding Wednesday's deal gave her some long-overdue relief at the pump.

"I wish it were like this more often," she said. "(High gas prices) have hindered us from doing things we would have normally done."

But for one day, at least, those prices weren't as intimidating.

"It's been a pretty good week with the news," Warnick said, referencing stories like the death of terrorist Osama bin Laden. "This is just another reason to celebrate."