The Smile Behind the Snowcones: Smiley Goodloe

For generations of Brackettville children, Sterling “Smiley” Goodloe has been more than the man behind the snow cone stand. He has been a listening ear, a steady encourager, a prayer warrior, and one of the community’s most familiar and beloved faces.

Smiley’s Snow Cones and Bike Shop first opened in 1990. In those early years, the small Fort Street shop offered bicycle repairs and flat fixes on one side and cold snow cones on the other. Over time, it became something more than a business. Children signed the wall, families gathered outside, and young people found a safe place to visit, talk, laugh, and be heard. In the 1990s, Smiley even hosted street dances for local youth in front of the shop, creating memorable Fourth of July celebrations and back-to-school gatherings. The Brackett News newspaper once recognized him as a Brackettville entrepreneur, but many residents would say his true legacy has never been about business alone. It has been about service.

In December 2025, Brackett ISD recognized Goodloe ahead of his retirement, thanking him for 28 years of service to the district. Shortly afterward, students and staff honored “Mr. Smiley” with a clap-out through every hallway of the school. On New Year’s Eve 2025, he retired from Brackett ISD after a career that included work in several school districts and spanned just under 40 years.

Goodloe has long been known for his work with young people. A 2009 Brackett News article by Katie Brown described him as a quiet, soft-spoken man with a smile for everyone and a heart for encouraging children. The article noted that he had worked for the Brackett school district, served with EMS, coached baseball, umpired, served on the Little League Board, and was named Brackettville Citizen of the Year in 1991.

His snow cone stand has also carried a deeper mission. Since the 1990s, Smiley has placed Bibles in the hands of young people, offered encouragement, and prayed for students, families, and anyone who needed it. Many who visited his stand as children are now parents themselves, bringing their own children to experience the same kindness and care.

These days, Smiley is focused on serving God by bringing smiles, prayer, and encouragement to the community along with what many consider the best snow cones in the region. His new location, just around the corner from his original tire and snow cone shop, includes a comfortable patio where visitors can sit, visit, and enjoy a sweet treat.

Smiley envisions the stand as someday being fully donation-based, so no child is turned away from an ice-cold treat on a hot summer day. The prayers are free, too. A prayer request box is available at Smiley’s Snow Cones, and Goodloe says the requests will be kept private. Each evening, he removes the requests from the locked box and lifts them up in prayer himself.

Smiley’s Snow Cones is generally open from 6 to 9 p.m., except Wednesdays and Sundays. However, those who know Smiley know that if the day is especially hot, or if he feels called to serve, he has been known to open even on his scheduled days off. In his own words, Goodloe says it is all because of God living in him. “I thank God for letting me serve Brackettville and Kinney County now and then and wherever God sends me,” he shared.

For Brackettville, Smiley’s Snow Cones has never been just about shaved ice, syrup, and summer afternoons. It is about a man who has spent decades choosing to show up for his community with kindness, faith, patience, and a smile. And in a small town, that impact lasts long after the snow cone is gone.

Follow Smiley's Snowcones for updates: https://www.facebook.com/SmileysSnowCones
405 1/2 N Fort St, Brackettville

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