It was an ordinary day. Preparing for the Easter weekend when the family usually gathers for some time of relaxation, an Easter meal and reminiscing about the past. Not sure how we are going to celebrate this year, but hopefully it will be better than last year when we were in the throes of a viral pandemic. The one item that was missed the most last year was the annual easter-egg hunt when the grandkids take a bag with them and search for plastic Easter eggs that are hidden around our property which is just about an acre in size. I should tell you the grandkids were so upset that we eventually did have the egg hunt in July when they arrived to celebrate our daughter's birthday which happens to fall on July 4. It was much easier to gather since we could be outside instead of chancing having to be inside at Easter. I should also tell you that our grandkids are young adults by now, but still don't want to give up the plastic egg hunt. May be that the coins and bills that we put in quite a few of the eggs help. But, they still love the jelly beans that are part of the egg hunt, also. And...that is what my story is about today. It was in 1869 that Gustav Goelitz opened a candy business in the town of Belleville, Illinois.
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| The Gustav Goelitz Candy Company. That's Mr. Goelitz with his foot on the barrel. |
In 1976, the Jelly Belly was born. Up until that time the traditional jelly bean had been made since 1965. These candies were made with a clear center of pectin, covered with a hard sugar casing of different fruit flavors. These original jelly beans weren't anything special except for the fact that President Ronald Reagan fancied them. Then in 1976 David Klein, who was a candy distributor, approached Mr. Goelitz with the idea of making a fruit-flavored bean made with natural ingredients. Wasn't long before Jelly Bellies were born. The first eight flavors debuted in the summer of 1976 when Mr. Goelitz sold bags of a single flavor. Each flavor was so intense that he insisted that it needed to be savored individually. Production had to be increased and within a year there were 25 flavors of Jelly Bellies that were even sold in bags of mixed flavors. Today, jelly beans are available in flavors from cherry to buttered popcorn to toasted marshmallow to one of my favorites, mango. |
| A few of the many Jelly Bellies that are made. |
For the Harry Potter fans, there are even the flavors of black pepper, booger, dirt, earthworm, earwax, sausage and soap. Lucky for me that I don't care for Mr. Potter. I certainly hope the don't put them in any bags that I buy. Well, I want to personally thank my Gustav Goelitz for making Jelly Bellies. Without them our Easter egg hunt wouldn't be half as much fun.....no wait a minute.....my wife is telling me they don't matter.....it's the large bills that I stuff in the plastic Easter eggs that make the difference. And, with the price of gasoline going up, they are anxious for this year's Easter egg hunt. Geeze, I thought it was all about visiting Amah and Tampah's house at Easter for a fun time and a good meal. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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