THIS 13-FOOT-TALL, FIBERGLASS SNOWMAN IS LOCATED JUST OFF OF INTERSTATE 79 NEAR MORAINE STATE PARK | PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

In 2012, Brian and Debbie LaChance rolled the dice on a new business venture by purchasing a 13-foot-tall, fiberglass snowman.

Either they were going to have the coolest ice cream stand around or the biggest Christmas decoration in Portersville, Pa. They spent the next year preparing a section of their 6-acre, rural property for the grand opening.

Luckily, customers warmed to The Snowman right away. When the mercury rises, they gather in droves in front of the big guy — who’s located at 238 E. Portersville Road, just off of Interstate 79 near Moraine State Park — to buy shave ice, milkshakes, sundaes, frappes, Hershey’s ice cream and pup cups.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Frozen treats taste better when they come from the belly of a colossal Frosty.

The Snowman begins its season every April as a weekends-only operation and ramps up to a six-day-a-week production by Memorial Day. It’s open from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Last licks will be available on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2. The Snowman stays dormant during the winter, but a mobile unit, introduced in 2016, appears at regional events year-round.

There’s always been a flurry of activity at the LaChance homestead.

The couple — he’s a Vermont native, she grew up in Northwestern, Pennsylvania — bought the plot of land in 1997 and raised kids, dogs, horses and chickens there while working full-time jobs.

As Brian mowed the pasture one summer afternoon, he noticed dozens of vehicles driving by on State Route 488. Most were towing boats for a fun-filled day on Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park. An ad man by trade, he thought a shave ice stand along the busy thoroughfare would be a seasonal gold mine. Debbie already had experience in the food service industry and the family made bank by selling farm-fresh eggs to passing motorists.

Brian’s mind swirled like a blizzard.

He wanted to create a destination that tourists would include in their summertime traditions for generations; sort of like a Butler County version of Gus & YiaYia’s. (The iconic ice ball cart is currently in its 90th season at Allegheny Commons Park on Pittsburgh’s North Side.)

After a few false starts and a lot of research, the LaChances learned that a Twistee Treat ice cream-cone shaped structure was for sale in Cincinnati. Founded in 1983, the Florida-based sweets company has 36 locations throughout the Sunshine State.

While visiting a warehouse filled with novelty architecture, they spotted a giant snowman for sale. He was weatherbeaten, with a navy blue hat and black mittens clutching a hunter green snow cone. Since the early 1980s, he’s moved like a cold front across the country, from New Mexico to Texas to Mississippi to Ohio.

With a makeover and some help from the Duquesne University Small Business Development Center (the organization helped the LaChances plow through a lot of red tape), The Snowman opened in 2013. He’s been melting hearts ever since.

Up to four employees can occupy his igloo-like interior to dish out 24 varieties of gluten-free, cane sugar shave ice and other goodies. The best-selling Yeti Sundae combines your favorite shave ice flavor with vanilla or chocolate ice cream topped with whipped cream.

There are a few tables with umbrellas in the gravel parking lot, along with bench swings that allow visitors to view the beautiful countryside. The LaChances rent out their barn to a local equestrian. If you’re lucky, there will be horses grazing in the pasture, including Hank, a miniature stallion who is in love with a large mare named T.T. (that’s short for Too Tall).

It’s an idyllic scene, although some folks think the smiling snowman is a little creepy.

In April, film director Robert Lanphere used The Snowman as a shooting location for his horror movie “Locus.” The Art Institute of Pittsburgh graduate hopes to release the chiller next summer through Atomic Fear Films.

When Brian posted about the on-camera action via The Snowman’s Facebook page, it went viral among horror buffs, who consider the area a hotbed for the genre ever since George Romero filmed “Night of the Living Dead” in nearby Evans City.

The LaChances aren’t fans of blood-curdling screams (unless, of course, they’re for ice cream), but they are happy to support independent artists. They’re also active in the community, donating gift certificates to the Butler County Federated Library System’s summer reading initiative, a dessert version of Pizza Hut’s famed Book It! Program. Feed your head, get a brain freeze!

The Snowman has attained landmark status in Portersville, but is that just the tip of the iceberg for the business? After a lifetime of hard work, Brian and Debbie say they would rather chill out than franchise.

In this economic climate, I don’t blame them for getting cold feet.