Hills of Snow giant snow cone

Our State described a snowball stand in the middle of downtown Smithfield built to look like a giant snowball. Our State, in a story first published in 2015, says the founder opened Hills of Snow in 1984, selling from a blue, box-shaped building, and a few years later decided the box needed a more distinctive look and built the snowball structure himself at 110 South Bright Leaf Boulevard. The magazine compared it to a chunky windmill that had lost its blades, said two straws on top form the Ls in "Hills", and reported that staff call it "The Big Ball". A patio of potted palm trees, benches and umbrellas surrounds it.

The snow is the other draw. Our State described it as softer and creamier than the icy snow cones most people expect, and counted 101 flavours, up from 20 when the stand opened, plus "snow creams" topped with condensed milk. A 2008 North Carolina Folklife Institute post counted 99 flavours and 10 sizes, and noted that the stand's sign advertised bola de nieve and crema de nieve, and that many customers were Mexican immigrants. Our State said in 2015 that the syrups are made in a nearby building called the Sugar Shack.