Bubble, blubber, squirm, and gloop, Boiling broth of bat’s tail soup. Wobble, slobber, liquid goo, Add the sole of one old shoe. Spooky shadows dance around, Of frogs and rats and snarling hounds. Steam swirls rising to the roof, Add one small ear and one old tooth. Gnarly, scratchy, tickle, and itch, Stir round and round to make it rich. Mushy, sticky, sizzle and stew, They’re making mischief just for you.
George Renninger, who worked at Wunderlee Candy Company, created candy corn in the 1800s. Working out of Philadelphia, he invented it to celebrate what he believed to be the beauty of corn juxtaposed with autumnal colors. Winter was cold, dark, and long, and the bright colors of candy would last for a long time, bringing optimism, joy, and a burst of sugar.
Specialized candy for Halloween turned out to be a winning idea, with different Halloween candies becoming increasingly popular over time. Wunderlee was credited for being the first to sell candy corn commercially, even though Goelitz, also known as Jelly Belly, is the most linked to commercial candy corn sales.
Candy corn began as food for chickens and was available only between March and November. It was originally a type of mellow cream known as “Butter Cream Candies.” The name was changed in the 1950s due to false advertising, as it had no butter inside.
The original method of making candy corn was to pour each color into molds separately, but this was a very time-consuming process. The recipe was sugar, corn syrup, and water. Later, marshmallows and fondant started being added, and then so was carnauba wax. Today, the recipe is pretty similar and gives us plenty of energy for trick-or-treating.
Kevin, the girls, and I went to a couple of fun events that season. Finally, we made it to “Boo at the Zoo” at the Fort Worth Zoo. The weather was perfect for some Trick-or-Treat time. And Sara had a Halloween Party at her daycare, where she could play games, have hot dogs, lemonade, and cake. Once in a while, it’s fun to splurge.
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2013
In 2013, we decided we wanted to register for the “Family Fright Night Camp Out” in our city. It’s an annual event on the lake peninsula in Stewart Creek Park. We brought our camping gear, Halloween decorations, and lots of candy. The event has costume competitions, Halloween decoration competitions, scream competition, Trick-or-Treat, Movie Night, etc. The girls loved camping in the park. For the Halloween season, I carved five pumpkins. Three we used for the above event. And then I carved another two for the girls on Halloween.
After I dropped off Sara at school, I drove to Echo Lake Park. I wanted to see how far Autumn had come along. Two weeks ago, there were barely any signs. Now, it looks quite different. Let’s give it another week or two, and the green might be completely gone. The dew and the fog helped to give it an Autumn feeling at the lake. A half a dozen ducks and a bunch of Canada Geese enjoyed this sunny morning as well.
Under The Harvest Moon 