At the College, students are taught to live by deadlines. Armed with our planners, Blackberries, color-coded schedules and a myriad of other organizational devices, students rarely let a deadline slip past unnoticed. Lest a date be forgotten, we are ever-organized, ever-ready and ever-clutching our assignment notebooks.
p. There is one annual date, however, that is scarcely ever overlooked, even accidentally. Its preeminence transcends its need to be jotted down in a planner, to be scrawled on a Post-It note; the day that Sno-to-Go opens is always anticipated.
Students have flocked to Sno-to-Go for the past 10 years.
p. Because its treats are of the frozen variety, it closes in the fall and reopens in the spring, just in time to offer icy goodness before the summer swelter hits. Nestled along Richmond Road, Williamsburg’s famed snow cone shop appears, hardly recognizable to the ordinary passerby. A modest sign does little to announce its popularity; its red, barn-like building does little to lure customers. The lines of eager students, however, are unmistakable.
p. Sno-to-Go, which opened in 1997, is owned and operated by Ted and Dorothy Freneaux, both residents of Williamsburg. According to their website, the owners claim the first summer they started serving their now-famous “snoballs” was marked with a lack of business and a lack of interest.
p. “It took the better part of the summer to educate people that our snoballs were a special treat and that they consisted of shaved, snowy ice with 40 flavors to choose from. Slowly, but surely, people stopped to try us out,” the site says. The “snoballs” unique to Sno-to-Go are snow cones packed with a vanilla or chocolate soft-serve center and finished with another dollop of ice cream on top.
p. After that first summer, word spread and the skepticism ceased. The menu has expanded since, and innovative current flavors include Bahama Mama, Fuzzy Tiger and Rumble-berry, to name but a few. Owner Dorothy Freneaux lists Tiger’s Blood, Frog in a Blender, Beetlejuice and cherry as the four most popular flavors. Another option is the “rainbow” flavor, which combines two to three flavors in the same cool treat.
p. For $2, customers can purchase a junior size, and for a true indulgence they can spend $3.75 for the extra large. Other menu items include ice cream sundaes, shakes and sodas.
The Freneauxs explain the inspiration behind Sno-to-Go on their website. They spent summers in Lousiana and frequented snow cone stands, which are more prevalent in the south. Nostalgic for those times, they wished to recreate the southern treat so beloved in their childhood. Ever since then, it had been their dream to set up shop and relive the tastes of their summertime sweets.
p. Monday marked the opening day of Sno-to-Go this year. The Freneauxs anticipate another season of serving the Williamsburg community a slew of snoballs. The shop is located at 2229 Richmond Road, next to Andy’s Pancake House. Sno-to-Go is open, every day except Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. It will close again for the winter in late September.