Viva Fetters had one very important career for many years: raising her three wonderful children and being a wonderful wife to her wonderful husband, Bobby, who worked at Guide Lamp/Guide (a division of General Motors here in Anderson).
Today, her children are grown; her husband is retired; and she now has three grandsons and a great-granddaughter.
On top of that, she's been a businesswoman for the past 14 years spreading the good news that it's no more sinful to indulge in chocolate than it is to enjoy pink grapefruit.
She began doing this out on North Broadway for the past 14 years and has now been doing her convincing at two other places: just off of 53rd Street just north of Applebee's (back deeper into this strip-mall area) and down in Pendleton at Falls Park Plaza.
Actually, I'm the one who came up with the observation that chocolate is no more sinful than pink grapefruit.
All Viva will say is that what she serves is real fine ice with a texture like snow and that the treat is--although not sugar-free--fat-free and cholesterol-free.
She also says that the scores of flavorings offered are made by her instead of being bought somewhere.
Her husband refers to it as "honey syrup," but neither of them will mislead to say that there is even the smallest amount of actual honey in it.
Whatever it is has kept customers coming back time and again. My mom and I, more days than not, manage to show up there at least once.
We always order the Mini--which isn't that mini, as it's served in a styrofoam cup that looks to be six ounces at the very least and is probably eight ounces.
Either way, the top of the cup isn't where it all ends, as it stands up high above, coming to a point about three or so inches above the rim of the cup.
It's $1.50 and the smallest size they serve.
Other sizes and prices are:
Prince--$175
Knight--$2.25
Queen--$2.50
King--$2.75
You can have a solid treat or else stripe it.
The two of us usually stripe it.
We think that coconut goes well with everything and will add another flavor to it more times than not.
However, we don't always do this.
Other examples of great combos are:
chocolate and banana
blue cotton candy and pink cotton candy
blue bubble gum and pink bubble gum
cantaloupe and pink grapefruit
wild strawberry and silver fox
dreamsicle and pina colada
and I'm just getting you started here...
We haven't met a flavor we haven't liked--even though my mom has never tried the sizzler or shocker and probably never will. This is what I might get when I'm on my own because either of those would be too sour for her tastes.
When we're together, we usually get the same thing so that we can discuss how delicious it is. Just one of our little family traditions.
The two of us were discussing what this was, and I said that I thought it was a way of grinding ice known as Hawaiian Shave Ice--but I found out, after talking with Viva, that they don't consider what they put out to be that. Hawaiian Shave Ice has an entirely different flavor and texture.
Viva makes it very clear that she's an independent businesswoman and not part of a franchise or chain.
So, if you're ever in Anderson or Pendleton and looking for a refreshing, frozen treat in a wide variety of flavors from the healthy to the sinful, check out one (or more) of the three Sno-Castle locations where you can either drive or walk right up to enjoy this summer pleasure (Open from May first through August 31 with hours between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. when school is in session and 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. after school's out for the summer--these times being for the one where we go the most just north of Applebee's off of 53rd Street).
No matter whether it's chocolate or pink grapefruit--or anything else--it's all fat-and-cholesterol-free, and it's all good!
Let me leave you with a few more yummy words--and, remember, that this is only the tip of the sno-berg...
watermelon...root beer...fuzzy navel...creme soda...butterscotch...lemon...wild cherry...strawberry cheesecake...Popeye...pink champagne...blueberry...
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