February 2014

Village Candy
344 Beaver Street
Sewickley PA
412.741.1490
Tues - Sat 10-5
Wed 'til 8

February Edition

Sweets for your Sweetest

History in Chocolate

Son of Candy Alphabet

Save the Date

Quick Links

Check Us Out On The Web at

villagecandy.com

Polar Vortex, Super Bowl XLVIII and Punxy Phil have all become entries in the history books. We're in the midst of that post holiday, pre bud-opening lull that occurs when everyone except the most avid skier is tired of winter's grip. It's been pretty quiet in the Village, but nice to see people venturing out again after fearing frostbite and dry skin for so long. New treats have arrived for the next holiday in line, Valentine's Day, and they're starting to trickle in for Easter. We'll keep you posted.

Sweets for your Sweetest

Don't forget Saint Valentine!

Nothing scores more points with a loved one than your remembering them on Valentine's Day. The fact that you put thought into picking up a little something to symbolize your fondness for them on this special day works wonders, both for you and the recipient.

Your best bet: chocolate! You can't go wrong. We have tried-and-true heart-shaped boxes, foil-wrapped milk chocolate lips, delicious chocolate-covered cherries, and a whole bevy of Valentine's decorated treats. New this year is a fine white-chocolate truffle from M Collection, filled with an over-the-top pomegranate-infused chocolate ganache (pictured above). Let Village Candy put you in their good graces. We assume no responsibility for the error of lesser gifts.

While the custom of sending cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts originated in the UK, Valentine's Day still remains connected with various regional customs in England. In Norfolk, a character called 'Jack' Valentine (no doubt played by Johnny Depp in the movie version) knocks on the rear door of houses leaving sweets and presents for children. Although he was leaving treats, many children were scared of this mystical person.

Jack B. Oruch writes that the first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love is in Parlement of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer wrote:

For this was on seynt Volantynys day

Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.

("For this was on St. Valentine's Day,

when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.")

This poem was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. And now you know why the proprietor of Village Candy dropped Chaucer in his college days within the first two weeks of enrolling.

In the late 1700s in the UK, a limited number of cards with verses and sketches were being produced, called "mechanical valentines," and a reduction in postal rates in the next century ushered in the less personal but easier practice of mailing Valentines. In the US, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland of Worcester, Mass.

Historic Sewickley Borough Building

In Delicious Milk Chocolate!

Sewickley Borough is steeped in history, and has historically taken a tax bite out of its residents. Wouldn't you like to get back and take a bite out of the Sewickley Borough Building?

Now you can, with this delicious milk chocolate representation of the Borough Building! Molded with meticulous detail in luxurious Trello Cioccolato milk chocolate, the borough and Trello joined forces to commemorate the historic borough's government seat, and Village Candy has 'em.

After a year in construction, it was in March 1910 that elegant invitations were sent out to attend the opening of the borough's new Municipal Building. The design, which is credited to C. W. Bier, is actually a modification of earlier plans drawn by Sewickley architect Elmer E. Miller. Miller also designed the grand and now fondly remembered Yellow Brick School that once dominated Broad Street. That building, dedicated in 1894, also featured a strong square tower.

The original proposal included two square shafts/bell towers, but it's assumed that it was downsized to save money. The building was completely renovated in 1984, and houses all local government functions, along with a jail and fire department.

And One More Thing...

Son of Candy Alphabet

enture into some of the more unusual candy, and you'll find this month's entry. And believe us when we tell you there are VERY few V candies.

Submit your guess in an email to candyalphabet@villagecandy.com. We'll print all the correct respondents names on individual Christmas lights, and when one of them goes out (as you know one inevitably will), we will try to replace it. When we get all tangled up in the wires (as you know we inevitably will), we will have crushed the winning light in one hand and gotten embedded shards (with the winning name) to prove it. We'll dream up a memorable token of our appreciation, and then we'll actually act on that dream.

Last Alphabet's correct answer was Turtles, and was submitted by Jessica Anderson. Your prize awaits.

TURTLES� is a trademark for a brand of candy made by DeMet's Candy Company. Turtles brand candy was developed by Johnson's Candy Company in 1918, after a salesman came into the commissary's dipping room and showed a candy to one of the dippers, who pointed out that the candy looked like a turtle. Soon after, Johnson's Candy Company was making the same kind of candy and selling it under the name "Turtles." Johnson's Candy became DeMet's in 1923.

Today, Turtles candies come in all sizes, shapes and recipes, some even shaped like a turtle, with modern mold-making techniques, but the originals were produced by candy dippers on a rectangular marble 'board', similar in size to a contemporary kitchen cutting board. The original recipe, as executed on marble, was peanuts, caramel and various chocolates; they were a multi-task confection, requiring several sittings.

Pecans dipped in chocolate were commonly made in the early 1900s, but Johnson's Candy Company was the first to protect the trademark "Turtles."

Oh, and This Very Last Thing

Save the Date

Grab your Franklin Day Planner and block out Saturday, March 22. Village Candy will be holding its next soda tasting, and it should be a doozy (since it's been so long). So everyone start rooting for it...

Village Candy is an old-time, new-fangled retail shop specializing in a unique selection of retro and current bulk and novelty candy, artisan chocolates, glass-bottled pop and candy-themed gifts. Oh, and remember customer service? It's back!

We are here Tuesday thru Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, but on Wednesday we stay late until 8! We are closed Sunday and Monday.

Sincerely,