First Fridays with the Crew - National Candy Month

Happy candy month! It’s official. June is National Candy Month. Or so says the National Confectioners Association. And why argue with them or anyone when the topic is so sweet. 

Join the Get Lost in a Story crew
& share your favorite candy!

Amanda McIntyre

Thinking back to my childhood favorites has to include the trek I used to take, quarter in hand, to the tiny neighborhood grocer called Arn's Grocery. Living in a small Midwestern town in the early sixties, it was nothing for me to walk three blocks alone down the alley to Grace Arn's store. A bell would ring when you walked in. The window air conditioning providing respite form the summer heat.

She had a glass candy case, where you could go around back and open it and search for as many penny candies as a small brown paper bag could hold. It was there that I discovered what was called the "Seven-up" candy bar. It was like getting a mini box of chocolates for a nickel. It was created by the Pearson candy company in 1930 and had seven little pillowed squares of chocolate with seven different fillings-brazil nut, butter cream, butterscotch, caramel, cherry, coconut, fudge, mint, nougat, and orange. I would savor each piece and thought I'd gone to heaven! Eventually it became too expensive to make and so they company retired it in 1979.

One of my favorites to this day is "Cherry Mash." Hand-dipped chocolates were first introduced in 1876 by Dr. George Washington Chase and sold at his mercantile-- GW Chase and Sons Mercantile, along with peanut candies. In 1918, the first Cherry Mash was conceived in the first of many plants with its popularity came a new plant with one whole floor designated to the "dipping crew." The onset of WWII hurt many of the candy companies, with the sugar ration and in the 40's , an investor of Pepsi plants bought the company and would take the candy to new heights, opening a plant in the 60's in St Joseph, Missouri that still stands today--100 years later producing the Cherry Mash and Mini Cherry Mash. Full disclosure; I have an Aunt in New York that I've shipped boxes of these delights to as she can't find them in NYC.

Jacqui Nelson

My favorites are many, but the first two that came to mind were chocolate bars from my childhood. Both were created by the Walter M. Lowney Company which was acquired by Hershey Canada in 1987. Thank goodness for Mr. Lowney!

Cherry Blossom 
A maraschino cherry and cherry syrup surrounded by chocolate, shredded coconut, and roasted peanut pieces. Made since the 1890s. A Cherry Blossom is super sweet -- and I mean SUPER sweet. When I was young, they didn't seem as sweet. Now they seem over-the-top decadent and it's a very rare and special day when I have one. I think I'll have to pick a day this June to be that special day!

Eat-More 
Dark toffee, peanuts, oatmeal, and chocolate. I searched but couldn't discover when Eat-Mores were first made, but I learned that their name was picked during a 1930s naming contest. An Eat-More was one of my favorites as a kid and now...that hasn't changed :)

Lizbeth Selvig

Asking me to pick my favorite candy is like asking to pick my favorite child. I swear--if it has sugar in it, I'm no more discriminating than an ant at a picnic! I have my current go-to faves because, despite the pictures I included--chocolate is truly unbeatable:  Kit-Kat dark, Milky Way Midnight Dark, and good old Three Musketeers! 

But I dug into my memory of buying penny candy at the corner grocery store when I was a kid and remembered these classics as well: Wax pop bottles and Candy Buttons. They weren't chocolate, but they were always big hits. I mean, how long could YOU chew the wax after the liquid was gone? 

And I can't go without my happy admission! It doesn't matter how many boos or thrown shoes I get, I LOVE Peeps! I can eat an entire package in one sitting and look for more. I don't know how they survive because nobody I know will admit to eating them--but I am an unapologetic fan. 

 
Angi Morgan
Favorite candy... hands down it's Watermelon & Toasted Marshmallow Jelly Bellys. 

I've always been a big fan of jelly beans. Okay, I've always been a big fan of candy--especially the kind without chocolate. My parents made a decision to not give me anything chocolate until I was seven or eight years old. And it just never grew on me. WHITE chocolate I discovered as an adult. YUM. 

I'm a seasonal candy eater. Since I closed my softball concession stand, I'm not around candy and resist the temptation. But I do allow myself certain things once a season. Like...candy corn for Halloween or a box of Queen Anne's milk chocolate covered cherries at Thanksgiving (not all at once). I would always get a chocolate-covered cherry when I visited my grandfather for Thanksgiving. When he got older, it was my thing to bring him a box along with a pumpkin pie.  Three Musketeers is my go-to travel bar if the store doesn't have sour cherries (I told you I like gummy stuff). AND A PAYDAY...well that's my football or softball candy. It doesn't melt on hot days and tastes great with any kind of drink.

Avril Tremayne

I love lollies! I'm usually not so crazy about chocolate, which practically makes me a traitor to Romancelandia - but as in all areas of my life, I make an exception for anything Italian. And since I'm currently travelling around Italy, I'm casting my vote for Baci! Not only is it a concoction of chocolatey hazelnut deliciousness, but it means 'Kiss' and that appeals to my romantic heart!



E.E. Burke
You'll probably laugh, but I really am not that tempted by candy and never have been. But I love chocolate in any form, cookies, pies, bars, you name it. One of my favorite places to treat myself is at the shop of a local artisan, Christopher Elbow. I adore how his chocolate looks and tastes! Each piece is a creative masterpiece. It's the perfect combination of two things I love--art and chocolate.

Almost Too Pretty To Eat
As it says on his website, they are "almost too pretty to eat." But don't miss out on the opportunity. If I've tempted you, you can find more goodies here: https://www.elbowchocolates.com/

Buy Local
Not only do I enjoy Christopher Elbow chocolates, I like supporting his business, which started in Kansas City. Do you have a favorite hometown candy shop? I'd love to hear about it.

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If you enter the drawing and post a comment, E.E. will draw a winner who will receive a box of Christopher Elbow chocolates! 

**DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT!

Hope you'll share your favorite candies with us!

❤️  Maybe they will become our favorites as well  ❤️

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