Candy Land

One of the first board games I ever played was the classic, “Candy Land.” It was truly wonderful because of the name itself and the fact that six actual lollipops came with it and because my parents would always let me win and instructed my siblings to do the same. Sweet in every way!

I believe it is this board game that began my competitive streak and my deep affection for sugary confections.

What a grand experience of childhood was the local candy store stocked full of penny candy and complete with the right-out-of-central-casting store owner, an older gentleman with white hair and glasses. A quarter got you a paper bag filled with candy! Seriously, ask anyone of a certain age what they know about penny candy and watch their eyes glaze over like shine on a donut!

The store, “Gene and Boots” in Perryopolis is a throw-back to the sugar-laced glory days of childhood. Although it will cost one more than a penny, the store has all those great candies we grew up on. And, making an in the Maam stage of life statement, they don’t make candy like that anymore and....one can probably understand why:

Liquid- sugar filled wax bottles
Styrofoam-consistency flying saucers filled with colored sugar pellets
Candy cigarettes complete with the red-colored tip
“Charms” lollipops
“BATS” taffy on stick in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavors
Fireballs jawbreakers which were used to create a candy endurance test with the kids in the neighborhood -- how long could you keep the hot cinnamon jawbreaker in your mouth?
Pumpkin seeds coated in a half-inch of white salt
Yard long plastic tubes of sugar with the magical name “Pixie Sticks” because ingesting that much sugar made you believe you could fly!

I know I did not list all of the great candy. Do share some of your own sugar-filled memories of childhood when the candy was cheap and the sugar rush was long!

sj;