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8A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, July 11,2018
A summertime mission for a Snoopy Sno-Cone
Summer means different
things to people.
For many, its vacations at the
beach; for others, it’s trips to
the mountains or the lake.
As a member of the original
staycationing family, summer
meant three lazy months of
going to the library and watch
ing cartoons.
I did have one mission
though: Finding a Snoopy Sno-
Cone machine.
This mission consumed three
of the summers of my youth.
The commercial on TBS
made it look like the ultimate
summer treat maker.
Seeing kids put the ice in the
top of Snoopy’s dog house,
crushing it into little cups and
drizzling the flavoring over it
made me think that would
make summer perfect.
Plus, if it was on TV, you
knew it had to be good.
We looked everywhere for
one.
The sale inserts in the paper
would declare that Eckerds (the
precursor to Rite-Aid) and
TG&Y would have them in
stock.
I would bug Granny endless
ly about it, begging her to help
me search.
Of course, if Mama had only
bought me one off the commer
cial, Granny wouldn’t have
needed to make the weekly
treks to the stores.
But Mama refused, saying
she was not doing a check by
SUDIE CROUCH
Columnist
phone or a COD, nor was she
going to pay $14.99 for ship
ping when that was more than
the thing cost.
“I have probably spent over
$15 in gas trying to find one of
these cussed things,” Granny
mumbled one evening as we
ventured to TG&Y.
TG&Y was sold out.
According to the manager, the
little sno cone machines with
the Red Baron beagle sold out
the same day they came in.
“That many people want
those things?” Granny asked.
“They look like Snoopy is
I shushed her; I was only
seven and even I knew some
things that came out of my
grandmother’s mouth were not
appropriate for my ears or
those working retail manage
ment.
“We may get some more but
I can’t promise. Once they
come in, we sell out pretty
quickly.”
“Can we get a raincheck?”
Granny asked.
The manager shook his head.
“I am afraid not; we can’t guar
antee the product will be in and
it is a first come, first sell basis
because of it being a seasonal
item.”
“How about if you held me
one? Could you do that? Could
I maybe do a layaway?”
Granny was trying everything
she could think of, but nothing
worked.
We left the store yet again
without a Snoopy Sno-Cone
machine.
“I can crush you some ice
with a hammer,” Bobby offered
when we got home. “We can
pour some vanilla flavoring
over it or some cherry juice, it
would be the same thing.”
I wasn’t too thrilled at his
suggestion; even though he
meant well, it just wouldn’t be
the same.
“Why would anyone want
crushed ice when ice cream is
better,” my grandfather mused
from his chair.
“I’ve wanted this for three
summers. Three!” I said. That
was a long-term commitment
for someone under the age of
10. “Ice cream is good, but this
is different.”
“If you don’t want Bobby to
bust you up some ice, Granny
can put some in the meat grind
er. Don’t worry, she cleans it
out real good; she uses that
meat grinder to crush her coco
nut meat,” my grandfather
offered.
This was even worse than the
ice being smashed with a ham
mer. Meat grinder sno cones?
“Why’s this so special?” my
uncle wanted to know.
“It’s Snoopy,” I said wearily.
No one seemed to understand
when you are a little kid, you
get fixated on something
because you like it, and nothing
is a suitable substitute. It was a
situation a hammer couldn’t fix.
A few weeks later, as sum
mer was coming to a close,
Granny and I were in Eckerd
picking up a prescription. There
high on the top shelf, shoved
above the small appliances and
pushed beside hot water bottles
was one remaining Snoopy
Sno-Cone machine in all its
glory.
Granny and I both gasped.
I didn’t say a word; I didn’t
have to. As strict as the old gal
could be, she would have given
me a kidney if it would have
helped me. Granted, she would
have fussed about it for the rest
of her life, but she would have
done it.
She walked over to the regis
ter by the pharmacy and asked
if they could get it down for
her.
“How much does it cost?”
Granny asked as the lady
climbed a small step ladder.
I can’t remember how much
it was, but it was enough to
make Granny cuss. And, it was
more than the TV price with
the shipping.
Granny’s glance told me
what I already knew. She
thought it was too much. Even
though I was a kid, I thought it
was too much, too. Summer
was practically over, and I
didn’t see myself wanting a sno
cone when I would be craving
burnt caramel cake in the fall.
Actually, I could eat burnt
caramel cake year-round. The
sno cones I only wanted in the
summer.
Heading home, we drove
through town and in the park
ing lot of the Piggly Wiggly
was a little tiny booth with a
sign declaring sno cones.
Granny pulled in immediately.
“What flavor you want?” she
asked.
I got a bubble gum flavored
one and Granny got cherry. She
declared hers tasted like cough
syrup and mine was too sweet
to eat. They were messy, too.
“I ain’t never paid this much
for ice,” Granny said as she
spooned up a bite. “Don’t get
your granddaddy started on
this. His trips to the Brazier are
enough.”
Not that long ago, my child
and I saw a Snoopy Sno-Cone
machine in a store. “You should
get it!” Cole exclaimed.
Nah, sometimes just the
memory of something is better
than the actual thing.
Sudie Crouch is an award win
ning humor columnist and author
of the recently e-published novel,
"The Dahlman Files: A Tony
Dahlman Paranormal Mystery."
Officials: Drunk man bit
14-year-old girl’s buttocks
By Nick Watson
DCN Regional Staff
A Dacula man is accused of swim
ming underwater July 4
at Lake Lanier and bit
ing a 14-year-old girl’s
buttocks, according to
authorities.
The girl was playing
in the lake near the
beach area of Lake
Lanier Islands on July
Herbert 4, when Jonathan
William Herbert, 30,
allegedly “swam under the water and
bit the girl,” said Hall County Sheriff’s
Office spokesman Derreck Booth.
“Herbert, who was intoxicated at the
time of the incident, has no known ties
to the victim or her family,” Booth
wrote in a news release.
The girl was with her family at Lake
Lanier, and the incident was reported
by witnesses.
Herbert was charged with battery,
second-degree child cruelty, public
drunkenness and sexual battery against
a child under the age of 16.
He was taken in to custody around
8:30 p.m. July 4 and booked July 5 in
to the Hall County Jail. He has a
$5,830 bond for the battery and public
drunkenness charges, but no bond has
been set for the other charges as of
press time.
www.dawsonnews.com
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J
DAWSON COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY
HOSTING CANDIDATES IN STATE-WIDE
RUNOFF ELECTIONS ON JULY 17
July 24 is the final date for registered voters to cast their votes across
the state for candidates who made it to the run-off election. Of course
early voting is underway but, as always, many will wait until July 24 to
finally make up their minds and vote. The Dawson County GOP is pleased
to welcome to our July 17 meeting the following candidates or candidate
representatives:
Governor: Nita Cagle for Casey Cagle and Martha Zoeller for Brian Kemp
LT. Governor: Geoff Duncan
Secretary of State: David Belle Isle and Brad Raffensperger
Of course we have invited all of the run-off candidates so there may be last
minute additions.
In addition to these run-off candidates, our GOP candidate for Insurance
Commissioner, Jim Beck, will attend.
We meet at The Bowen Center for the Arts, 334 Hwy 9 North, Dawsonville.
Doors open at 6:30 for time to meet and greet and to enjoy light
refreshments and snacks. The meeting begins promptly at 7:00. Of course
guests are invited and all will have the opportunity to join our local chapter.
For any questions or further information please contact Chairman, Bill Minor,
at 404-797-4424 or williamminor1945@gmail.com
And Remember, Lets all do our part to
KEEP AMERICA GREAT
