BY LOGAN HURSTON
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — Just in time for the coming warmer weather, Pelican’s Snoballs held its official grand opening on March 22.
The event featured a bouncy house and a balloon display provided by Celebration Co. in Auburn, free color changing cups and spoons to the first 50 customers and giveaways such as free t-shirts, hats and tumblers. One lucky customer received the grand prize of $50 Pelican Bucks that can be used to redeem free snoballs.
Pelican’s Snoballs got its start in 2001, the idea of the 13-year-old founder Ansley Johnson, who fell in love with the frozen treat during frequent summer visits to see her grandparents in Chalmette, Louisiana. She began to make snoballs to share in her hometown of Garner, North Carolina, and named her company after the state bird of Louisiana. Ansley performed the bulk of the day-to-day operations, as her parents both had full time jobs, but she enlisted her younger brothers to help. The original Pelican’s Snoballs store in North Carolina is still going strong, and the brand has since become a franchise, with over 200 locations in 19 states.
Opelika’s location is owned by Terry and Kathy Allen, who also own a store in Oxford, Alabama.
“Two years ago, we wanted to be in this area but couldn’t find the right location,” Allen said. “We searched Birmingham, Lake Guntersville, Gadsden, Trussville and nearby cities. Finally, we made one last trip to Opelika and found the perfect spot that just became available.”
The store is located at 1401 Second Ave. and will be open seasonally, from Feb. 1 through Oct. 31. Along with refreshing treats, Pelican’s Snoballs features outdoor seating with entertaining activities such as corn hole, Connect Four and hula hoops.
It’s important to note that there is a difference between a snoball and a snowcone. A snowcone is a crunchy, hard piece of ice with flavoring sprayed onto the ice. A snoball is a soft, fluffy shaved ice that melts into your mouth when eaten.
“Pelican’s Snoballs offers over 100 bold flavors and fine, fluffy snow that absorbs flavor in every bite,” Allen said. “We offer a variety of toppings — for example, cream, whipped cream, condensed milk, sour spray, etc. You can also stuff your SnoBall with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.”
Some of the flavors Pelican’s Snoballs offers are Bahama mama, carrot cake, Georgia peach, Dreamsicle, honeydew, iced tea, strawberry daiquiri, papaya and vanilla cola. They also have local flavors, like the War Eagle, which combines blue raspberry, orange and cream. Customers are allowed to mix and match from any of the 100 flavors offered, and snoballs come in four sizes: kiddie, regular, large and avalanche.
Pelican’s Snoballs offers five specials each month. April’s specials will include the April’s fool, featuring a mix of strawberry, orange and blue raspberry, and the sour patch, which combines lemon lime, orange and sour flavors.
Pelican’s Snoballs in Opelika is open from noon to 9 p.m. daily. For more information, follow them on social media or check out their website, www.pelicanssnoballs.com.
