Readers remember Bay Area's freak 1976 snowstorm

^Bay Area 1976 Snowstorm. Credit: Bill Fox, SF Gate

The unofficial “world’s oldest snowball” was created by Jeff Shamus in San Jose, CA back in 1976.

Snowfall is extremely rare in San Jose, so Jeff’s mother preserved the snowball he made after a freak storm blanketed their home.

The snowball stayed in her freezer in an empty Skippy Peanut Butter jar until she passed away in 2017. The family heirloom is back in Jeff’s possession, and he plans to pass it down to his children someday.

Jeff Shamus with the snowball he made in 1976 aged 15

What a weird, yet charming, story. I kind of wish I had the first snowball I ever made preserved in the back of my mom’s freezer.

Just gotta make sure your freezer never loses power or else you’ll end up with the ‘world’s oldest melted snowball’. 😆

Unofficial Networks Newsletter

Get the latest snow and mountain lifestyle news and entertainment delivered to your inbox.

Hidden
Newsletters
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.