814-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 31,2003
Road Kill Cafe Attracts Fun-Loving Clientele
LINDA WILLIAMS
Bedford Co. Correspondent
ARTEMAS (Bedford Co.)
Way back in 1985, Barbara Snid
er had a dream to open a country
store in picturesque, but very
rural, Artemas located in Mann
Township.
Artemas is 27 miles south of
the small town of Everett and
about 20 miles north of Cumber
land, Maryland. It might best be
described as in the middle of no
where.
Passersby are usually on their
way to one town or the other for
various chores or shopping expe
ditions. In the fall, Mann Town
ship becomes a haven for leaf
peakers and hunters. The Poto
mac River is nearby for fishing.
Prior to the store, there wasn’t
any place to purchase even a
store-bought lunch in the area.
Barbara saw the need for a
lunch place. She loved to cook, so
she put a few picnic tables in the
back of the store and began to
sell some sandwiches, homemade
soup, and her speciality, home
baked pies.
When her son, Mike, came into
the business with her, he per
suaded her to add more picnic ta
bles and broaden her menu.
Her fun-loving clientele were
delighted to have an “eaten”
place in Artemas and, for a prac
tical joke, found a piece of old
barn wood and painted the
words, “Road Kill Cafe” on it.
Barbara was so amused, she
hung the sign and thus, a “star”
was born.
Barbara expanded her menu
even more by offering daily spe
cials and a line of giftware with
the slogan Road Kill Cafe print
ed boldly on the shirt fronts, ball
caps, and coffee mugs.
A fun menu offers such items
as “Center Line Bovine Tastes
real good, straight from the
hood;” “Flat Cat,” “Collie Hit by
a Trolley,” and “Round of
Hound.”
A daily special treat was
“Guess That Mess” and late
night delights included rack of
raccoon, smear of deer, awesome
possum, or cheap sheep. A wall
full of road kill memorabilia and
cartoons donated by guests help
decorate the walls.
Barbara and Mike’s real menu
offers simmering pots of home
made soups and stews. Sausage
gravy and biscuits is to die for.
Monday offers hot roast beef
sandwiches, Thursday, it’s ribs,
and Friday, fish and chicken,
baked beans, and macaroni and
cheese. Once or twice a year,
fresh rabbit, bought from local
growers, is offered.
Everything is homemade and
Barbara does all of the pie baking
herself.
“I make about 50 pies per
week,” she said.
Some days no pies are served;
instead, an employee makes a
special homemade dessert.
Mike and Barbara attend local
county fairs at Alleghany and
Bedford and purchas-
ing most of their meat
from the ribbon-win-
ning “on the hoof’ an
imals shown by local
kids.
During the summer
months, fresh vege-
tables and fruits are
puchased from local
farmers.
“We try to keep as
much business in the
area as possible,” Bar
bara said. They have
15 part-time employ-
ees.
Word of mouth
spread the word of the
Road Kill Cafe located
in an area so difficult
Mike and Barbara Snider, mother and son, own the
Road Kill Cafe.
to find even a map isn’t much
help. Half the fun is undoubtedly
getting there.
“We get folks from every
where,” Barbara said.
In one week, they had two cou
ples driving from Glen Burnie,
near Washington D.C.; a square
dance group from Altoona, and
other guests from Frostburg,
Bedford, and Needmore. There
are busloads of senior citizens
who come for the afternoon and
church groups who come for an
outing.
Hours are 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Monday through Saturday.
Breakfast is served until 10:30
a.m. Sunday hours are noon until
2:30 p.m. but no hot food is
served.
The retirees from Potomac Ed
ison meet at the Road Kill on a
regular basis and sometimes a so
cial group or perhaps a group of
visiting nurses will hold a meet
ing lasting most of the afternoon.
“We love these groups, they
are so interesting,” Barbara said.
There are many birthday or anni
versary parties held here.
Hunting season brings a boun
ty of customers and some choose
to stay at the Snider cabins,
which rent for $25 a day and are
far from primitive with air condi
tioning, heat, refrigerators, mi
crowave ovens, and primestar
television. They also have several
campsites. Green Ridge and Bu
chanan State Forests are only
five minutes away.
Last summer, the Sniders
added an ice cream shop.
The store offers general food,
hardware, guns ammunition,
hunting and fishing licenses and
all sporting supplies.
Barbara and Matt have proven
the age-old adage: “Build a better
mousetrap’ and the world will
beat a path to your door.”
It might be a difficult path to
follow, but Road Kill Cafe is that
good people find it.
For reservations for groups of
ten or more call (814) 784-3257.
Directions from Breezewood;
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An outside view of the Road Kill.
Customers eat inside the Road Kill Cafe.
The ice cream stand was added last year.
Follow Route 30 to Everett. Take road (the road will veer to the
Route 26 south. At Clearville, do left, do not go straight ahead),
not follow Route 26, but go Road Kill is on the right. It is
straight ahead. Take the first about two miles from the church,
right past the Clearville school From Maryland, take 68 west
and stay on the main road to the to scenic route 40.
Fairview Church. This will be Turn left on Green Ridge
about 25 miles. At the church. Road and look for Road Kill on
turn right and stay on the main the left.
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