Traveling west on Old Frederick Road, the suburban landscape begins to change. The endless sprawl of crowded white houses begins to give way to large tracks of farmland and wide open fields as drivers approach the intersection at Woodstock Road. But as drivers reach the small stoplight on the edge of suburbia, they don't see large houses or rolling hills, just a small grey building with a simple green sign that reads, "The Snowball Stand."

The Woodstock Road snowball stand has become a community tradition since opening in 1974, offering consumers a delicious way to combat sweltering Maryland summer days. But owner Miky Hill says the stand offers its customers much more then just sugary snacks.

"The time it takes someone to eat a snowball has almost a philosophical value," Hill said. "This place just lends itself to relaxing and taking the time to look back and enjoy the journey, rather than feeling like you're always on a journey."

Hill and her husband, Tim Hill, bought the stand a year ago from their friend and neighbor, Linda Luber, but their family had been involved with the stand for many years prior. The Hills' eldest child got his first job working at the stand 14 years earlier and over the years, several more of their nine children have taken jobs at the stand.

"I started here when I was 14, so I've grown up around the snowball stand, which was a lot of fun," said Mary Hill, now a 19-year-old college student and snowball stand manager. "Sometimes I think I should get a real job, but now that I'm the manager here, I think that's about as real as I want it to get."

Despite her joking, Mary Hill was quick to say that the job can often be quite busy. On particularly hot days, the stand will often have a long line, sometimes at opening. But Hill and the other employees say they prefer an exciting pace to a lull in business.

With an assortment of treats on the menu, it's little wonder that employees stay busy. The stand offers 46 different flavors of snowballs, ranging from more traditional flavors like sky blue and cherry to brand-new extravagancies like cappuccino and wedding cake.

"I'm working on egg custard right now," said pool cleaner Blake O'Sullivan, 22, as he dug into a heaping cup of flavored ice. "I didn't even know what egg custard tasted like; I just kind of went with it. It's pretty good."

"Just plain old spearmint for me," said Geoff Schmitt, 22, O'Sullivan's co-worker.

To some, the tradition of coming to the snowball stand is as important as the promise of frozen snacks. Fred and Kathy Via lived near the snowball stand for 21 years; they recently moved to Carroll County, near the Pennsylvania line. Despite the distance, the Vias still stop by the stand whenever they're in town.

"Our kids went to school in Howard County and they would say to one another, 'Why don't we meet at the snowball stand?' And while there may have been many snowball stands around, this was always 'the snowball stand,' " Kathy Via said.

As the sun reached higher in the sky and the temperature began to push 90 degrees, cars started to fill the stand's rustic gravel parking lot. The line at the counter got longer as folks of all ages queued up for a frozen delight.

"Getting a snowball is like a vacation for these people," said 14-year-old employee John Hill. "They're just like going away from whatever they're doing, and it's nice to be a part of that."

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