We are men who lead, serve, protect and defend, whether we are giving out Coats for Kids, donating wheelchairs, lending a helping hand in disaster relief efforts, supporting local pregnancy centers or providing top-quality financial products.
When composing this story, I was surprised to find that “free snow cones” have been around since 2017. The brain child of Andy Goza (1965-2019), in conjunction with James Smith and Jim Stavinoha, “free snow cones” started out very simple and quite slow. But over the years the “free snow cone” program’s momentum has escalated and these days, there are usually 30-40 kids brought to the Community Center by their parents, grandparents, or great grandparents, for a tasty treat of either a 12oz. Tiger Blood, Blue Coconut or Green Apple snow cone.
Originally the snow cones were served under the bell tower, but are now dispensed in the cooler shade of the Community Center. And to my surprise, the crew of Knights and helpers were serving more than just snow cones – lemonade or iced tea along with watermelon slices were also served. So it’s not simple or slow anymore.
James Smith continues be the most senior Knight in the snow cone business; but he has been ably assisted over the years by David and Veronica Ybarra, Keith and Mary Archer, and today’s crew of Cappy Wood, Jim and Mary Russell, Jeff Traub, Joe Eubank and Marc Evans. My understanding is that the snow cone crew gets a lot of repeat customers. It’s more than a snow come giveaway as well; it is a social event for those receiving snow cones and those serving the treats. The kids and their caretakers linger around and converse with each other and those serving the snow cones. Just a win, win situation, to my way of thinking.
James says he keeps this program going to “give kids something that makes them happy”. Snow cones are served 4 Fridays each summer. There were lots of warm and fuzzy feelings around the Community center this past Friday, August 6th, 2025, for the last Friday snow cone giveaway of the year. The council is proud and grateful to all who spend time organizing this event and look forward to more snow cones next year. Good job, gang.
