Jobs for Teens

LEAD THE WAY Allowing Teens to Da’Bayou Snowballs employees up to 25 Story and Profi les By Scott Cutlip CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Kris and John Horne are the owners of Da’Bayou Snowballs and Sweets, but, they say, they’re not necessarily the ones who run it. Depending on the time of year, Da’Bayou can have approximately 25 employees, the majority of them high school students.

Da’ Bayou started nine years ago, when, upon a request from one of his youth ministry members for snow cones, John drove with his son Trey down to his hometown of New Orleans to pick up a mobile snowball shack.

 ey brought it back and set it up, and the Hornes gave members of their youth group jobs there, a trend that has continued ever since. Employees can point to family members and friends and church members who have worked at Da’Bayou over the years.

“I make them go through an interview process,” Kris said. “ ey have to contact us. I don’t want their parents contacting me. Just like any other job.”

Working at Da’Bayou is o en a goal. O’Hara McAllister said as soon as she turned 16, she texted John and told him she was coming to work there. Ramsey Pate, on the other hand, found a job at Snowballs while searching for jobs. Brooklyn Ray found

out about the job from her friend Ramsey.

“ e best thing about working here is that you build bonds with people,” Ramsey said. “I have to be honest, I didn’t really like her.” She gestured to Lexi Cli ord, sitting near Ramsey, with O’Hara between them.

“She hated me,” Lexi said, laughing.

“But now we love each other,” Ramsey continued. “We hang out so much. I love everyone. And everyone has connections, and you keep in touch with them. It’s amazing.”

Kris said many of their employees work at Da’Bayou until they get married or go to college. Two recent employees have joined the military.

 e family atmosphere o en involves the customers. Ramsey said that once you start getting a regular, you start to memorize their name and their order, and that makes the customer happy. keeps the  avor the same through the snowball the same and suspended in the snowball longer. Da’Bayou makes all its own syrups, and John is the only one to mix the sugar water.

 ere are over 55 regular snowball  avors, including such ones as root beer, tiger blood, strawberry. In addition, customers can order sugar free snowballs, combo  avor snowballs, and ice cream.  ere are also Voodoo snowballs, which are gourmet snowballs, such as Toxic, which is any snowball with Extra Extra sour, sour gummies, and gummy life savers, Gambit, any snowball with Nerds, chopped Jolly Ranchers, Gummy Frog, Sour Gummy, Life Savers & Sugar Sprinkles, and Pickle...which is a dill pickle juice snowball with a whole pickle in it. Most of the Voodoo  avors are created by the employees. Sometimes customers will order something completely di erent, such as one man who ordered a half-pickle, half-sour green apple. In addition to his work at Da’ Bayou, John also works as director of truck centers for a regional tractor repair facility. In addition to snowballs, the Greenwood Da’Bayou also sells candy.  e Hornes’ son, 16-year-old Addisen, works at Da’Bayou, also, and 13-year-old daughter Haiden has helped out.

Son Trey also worked at Da’Bayou before joining the National Guard, following in the military footsteps of his father, who received a medical retirement as a Captain in the Army a er 14 years. Trey passed away in December 2017, at the age of 24.

Da’Bayou will o en sell snowballs for schools and churches, doing fundraisers which contributes half the cost of a snowball to the charity.

Da’ Bayou is located at 110 S. Coker St.  ere is also another location, which is open seasonally, at 2700 Market Trace in Fort Smith. Spring hours are 2 to 8, and summer are 12 to 9.

“ e best thing about this is when you get a little kid to come in and order a snowball,” O’Hara said. “ ey tell you all the stu they like. You ask them what color straw they want. And then they take a big bite o the top, and they’re just so happy. It’s the best thing.”

Perhaps more than the friendly environment, it’s the snowballs that keep the customers coming in.

“Snowballs are a little di erent than the snow cones people are used to here,” John said. “My goal is to bring up the New Orleans style and brand and  avor and bring that here and try to change the snow cone culture. Because we call it snowballs here.”

In fact, the ice they use--the secret of which they wouldn’t share--resembles the sight and texture of a snowball.  e method Da’Bayou uses, John said,

ELI BUTLER

SENIOR • AGE 18

MY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Band, musical theater, BETA Club. MY FUTURE PLANS

Marketing and Musical  eater at Ouachita Baptist. MY FAVORITE FLAVORS:

SNOWBALL: Silver Fox and banana mix. VOODOO: No favorite, although I came up with the Grasshopper.

LEXI CLIFFORD JUNIOR • AGE 17

MY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Jazz band drum major, BETA Club, Delta Beta Sigma sorority and I tutor on the side. MY FUTURE PLANS

Med school to become a pediatrician. MY FAVORITE FLAVORS: SNOWBALL: Pineapple. VOODOO: I don’t really eat many, but something with real strawberries in it.

RAMSEY PATE

JUNIOR • AGE 18

MY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Yearbook editor, student council, BETA council, prom committee. I take classes at UAFS. I have 4 jobs: Snowballs, babysit, run a social media page, and teach painting. MY FUTURE PLANS

Attend UAFS with a double major in business administration and marketing. Wants to be a social media manager. MY FAVORITE FLAVORS:

SNOWBALL: I don’t really have one. VOODOO: Swamp Water (I invented it!)

ADDISEN HORNE SOPH. • AGE 16 I’ve been helping at Da’Bayou since I was 7.

MY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES Drum line. MY FUTURE PLANS

Wants to attend Arkansas tech with a major in music teaching and genetics. MY FAVORITE FLAVORS: SNOWBALL: Tiger Blood. VOODOO: Toxic.

O’HARA MCALLISTER SENIOR • AGE 18

MY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES Cheerleading. MY FUTURE PLANS

Attend UAFS in the nursing program. Recently signed to the UAFS cheer program. MY FAVORITE FLAVORS: SNOWBALL: Cajun Red Hot. VOODOO: Maple Bacon.

BROOKLYN RAY SENIOR • AGE 17

MY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Captain of Blue Dazzlers dance team. BETA Club.. MY FUTURE PLANS

Attend UAFS for dental hygiene with a minor in Spanish. MY FAVORITE FLAVORS:

SNOWBALL: Silver Fox and Cotton Candy. VOODOO: Mardi Gras.  e King Cake and cream is really good.

MACI SHARUM

JUNIOR • AGE 16

MY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES Band, I play saxophone. MY FUTURE PLANS

I want to go to college. I change my mind about what I want to do a lot. But currently, I want to do speech pathology. MY FAVORITE FLAVORS: SNOWBALL: Guava. VOODOO: Flintstones.

BRAEDON ULRICH SENIOR • AGE 18

MY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Drum line, I play the snare. In musical theater. MY FUTURE PLANS

Attend U of A and then transfer to Chicago. MY FAVORITE FLAVORS:

SNOWBALL: Anything citrusy, except orange. VOODOO: Gambit. I came up with several of the crazy Voodoo  avors.