"While shopping for school supplies, toys, and clothes, the Hills' snack bar consistently tempted visitors. The Hills Snack Bar food truck attempts to pay tribute to some of these nostalgia-invoking menu items, and according to customers, it has succeeded. "This brings back so many great memories. ICEES and popcorn are spot on and delicious," gushed one visitor in a Facebook post."
"Powell posts updates about the mobile snack cart's appearances and whereabouts on the Hills Snack Bar Facebook page. He also tapped some of the original suppliers who provided food items for Hills stores. The Hills Snack Bar food truck sells pretzels, hot dogs, nachos, and cotton candy from its windows as it travels to former store locations throughout Ohio and Western Pennsylvania."
"Though the Ohio-founded Hills Department Store was unable to stand the test of time, memories of the lively locations have remained fixed in the hearts and minds of its former clientele. On an r/80s subreddit, one user recalled stopping into Hills after his wedding to order orange sodas and egg rolls, while the scent of popcorn permeating the toy section is a core memory for others. "The smell of the snack bar is forever lodged in my brain," writes u/mattwebb677."
Hills Department Store closed years ago, but its snack bar created enduring memories for shoppers who recall popcorn scents, ICEEs, and post-wedding orange sodas and egg rolls. A mobile Hills Snack Bar food truck, owned by Jason Powell of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, recreates several of those menu items and travels to former store locations across Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. Powell posts appearance updates on the Hills Snack Bar Facebook page and sourced some original suppliers. The truck serves pretzels, hot dogs, nachos, cotton candy, ICEEs, and popcorn, and overwhelming demand at the 2023 launch even burned out an ICEE machine.
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