Something to Celebrate
Love it or hate it, candy corn is synonymous with Halloween.
About 9 billion sugary kernels are sold yearly, according to the National Confectioners Association. For those who wonder, that’s about 35 million pounds.
A Philadelphia man, George Renninger, invented the tri-color treat in the late 1800s at Wunderle Candy Company. But it wasn’t until 1989, when Goelitz Candy Company (the predecessor of Jelly Belly Candy Company) really popularized the confection — then calling it “Chicken Feed,” according to the association.
As Halloween because more popular over the decades, so did the candy — so popular in fact that Oct. 30 became the day to celebrate it.
Although candy corn is fat free, about 15 pieces of Brach’s brand has 22 grams of sugar. For some perspective, the American Heart Association recommends an added-sugar limit of about 24 grams per day.
A holiday celebrated two days later on Nov. 1 is perhaps the yin to Candy Corn Day’s yang.
National Brush Your Teeth Day is dedicated to reminding everyone to follow the American Dental Association’s guidelines. It’s especially important after days of overindulging in the candy goodness that comes along with Halloween.
Two minutes, two times a day with the brush at a 45 degree angle to the gums is the ADA recommendation.
And the ADA, of course, recommends limiting sugary beverages and snacks.
Other observances for the week include:
n Oct. 29: National Cat Day, National Internet Day, National Oatmeal Day
n Oct. 30: National Candy Corn Day, National Checklist Day, National Text Your Ex Day
n Oct. 31: Halloween, National Caramel Apple Day
n Nov. 1: National Author’s Day, National Brush Your Teeth Day, National Men Make Dinner Day
n Nov. 2: National Bison Day, Job Action Day, National Deviled Egg Day
n Nov. 3: Daylight Savings Day, National Homemaker Day, National Sandwich Day
n Nov. 4: Common Sense Day, King Tut Day, Check Your Blood Pressure Day
Hey aspiring authors: the entire month of November is National Novel Writing Month. The nonprofit NaNoWriMo challenges writers to churn out 50,000 words of a novel over the 30 days of November.
Stop procrastinating and get those words on a page. Visit nanowrimo.org for more information.