The Freezing Point, the unofficial name of my new favorite snowball stand, sits on Ruth Avenue at Sparrows Point Road in Edgemere.

I’ve passed that snowball stand so many times over the years and never stopped to buy a snowball from there until this year.

One day late this spring my husband was out on his weekend adventures and stopped there to buy a snowball. When he came home, he said, “You have to try these snowballs. You’re going to like them.” 

He was right. 

The first snowball I had from there was an old fashioned egg custard.  I couldn’t believe how smooth the shaved ice was and the flavor – oh my – indescribably delicious.

Rosemary and John Shkor’s stand was the first snowball stand in Edgemere to offer shaved ice snowballs.  

Until you try a snowball with shaved ice, you may never realize what a difference shaved ice can make in a snowball. 

I asked Rosemary what the secret was to her delicious flavors. She said her syrup is not store-bought-ready-made flavors. The flavor is made with sugar and has no high fructose corn syrup. Rosemary mixes her own to create some of our favorite flavors and, from time to time, features her own creations like Wedding Cake, Polar Punch, Coffee, and Cantaloupe. 

Offering a very nice variety of regular snowball flavors, they also have five diet flavors which include spearmint, chocolate, coconut, strawberry and, my favorite, egg custard. Ten years ago you were lucky if you could find one diet flavor with zero calories and zero sugar.

“What do you think makes your snowballs the best?” I asked Rosemary.

“I don’t claim to have the best snowballs," she said with sincere modesty. "It takes a lot of hard work from start to finish: from preparation, mixing, serving and training the employees. It all factors into what we believe make a great snowball.”

One thing Rosemary did proclaim was that you won’t find a cleaner snowball stand. The employees never touch your ice. They use a shaping spoon to give the top of your snowball that perfect-looking round top before they add your flavor.

Rosemary began the business over 10 years ago because her daughter Megan wanted a summer job. Since Rosemary and John had the room on their property it seemed like an ideal location for a snowball stand.  Rosemary said Megan embraced that summer job from day one and was a hard worker. Megan, now 28 and a Johns Hopkins employee, continues to help her mom keep the stand stocked and staffed.

The kids working at the stand come to her in various ways, word of mouth, teacher recommendation or simply a drop-by and apply. Rosemary said once she hires someone she never gives up on them and that some of the best workers started out slowly and hesitantly. 

There are no requirements for the hours an employee has to work. There is a sign-up sheet and the kids enter their names on the days they want to work. There seems to be enough interest from the local kids that they don’t to have to worry much about having coverage for the stand which is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., April through September.

Rosemary said what is really nice is that the kids who worked there 10 years ago still stop by and it is nice to see where they are and what they are doing today. Many of those former employees say the snowball stand was the best job they ever had.