Category: National Candy Corn Day

The Great War

9/15/2019

From our food editor,Verla Burell-Bordelon:

We at the Emmett Lee Dickinson are beyond incensed! It all started yesterday, when I saw a Christmas display going up at a local Lowe's home improvement store:

Obviously, the first shots have been fired in the War on National Candy Corn Day (October 30th; information HERE).

The War on National Candy Corn Day is a very real societal conflict -- unlike the phony "War on Christmas," a counterfeit campaign concocted merely to gain Christmas more status and commercialism.

As a result, we posted Emmett Lee Dickinson's now-classic poem, "'Tis fighting for our Lives we are" (below on the left), as one of our Featured Poems of the Week. Dickinson's poem inspired his third cousin Emily to pen her poem, "'Twas fighting for his Life he was" (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

’Tis fighting for our Lives we are –
To save our favorite corn –
The Ordnance of Confection’ry
Allegiance we have Sworn.

They aim once – kill once – conquer once –
There is no other War
In that Campaign as usual
Opposed to Candy Corn.

By Emily Dickinson:

'Twas fighting for his Life he was --
That sort accomplish well --
The Ordnance of Vitality
Is frugal of its Ball.

It aims once — kills once — conquers once --
There is no second War
In that Campaign inscrutable
Of the Interior.

Then, just after we posted Dickinson's celebrated ode "to save our favorite corn," we saw this appalling tweet:

Then Mr. Posnanski -- if that is his real name -- followed up with this cowardly tweet:

Of course, we wholly ignored Mr. Posnanski's request -- if that is his real name:

Though we do not know yet the final outcome we will plan in response to the vulgar words on the part of Mr. Posnanski's -- if that is his real name -- but we were at least relieved to see that some responses to his crude remarks included the following:

Take heart, Candy Cornians -- we will not let such unspeakable pronouncements from a candy-cornist from the likes of one "Tony Posnanski" (if that is his real name) spoil our love for "the food of the Gods" -- especially as National Candy Corn Day approaches!

Stay tuned. We will update you on our plans for vengeance soon! : )

Enough!

10/29/2018

From our food editor Verla Burrell-Bordelon:

Candy Cornians -- brace yourself! Yes, tomorrow is National Candy Corn Day, and though it is a day that should be filled with nothing but whimsy and joy (and plenty of candy corn), it is also the day on which candy corn lovers like yourself endure the most scorn and ridicule.

Just this evening, I came across this post on Facebook:

Is this supposed to be funny? The cretin who posted this map may think it is funny -- and that most if not all people would be more than happy to join hands and proclaim that all other candy is better than candy corn -- but nothing could be further from the truth. Have you ever tried circus peanuts? That stuff is NASTY!!!

The FACTS are in:

* Candy corn is America's favorite candy corn.
* Most if not all true Americans love candy corn.
* Most if not all true Americans recognize that candy corn is a national treasure.
* Children love candy corn, and most state that it is the most-hoped-for-treat on Halloween.

Be vigilant over the next 24 hours and respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior against lovers of candy corn. Take action immediately, and send the message that anti-candy-corn bigotry is not acceptable.

Time To Gyre & Gimble (For Candy Corn)

10/28/2018

From our current affairs editor Lemuel Stuart III:

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! This Tuesday, October 30, is National Candy Corn Day! Although this year’s observance comes with a bit of melancholy (information HERE), it is still a time to chortle with joy! ’Tis brillig, and slithy candy corn lovers do gyre and gimble in the wabe!

The past coupla weekends, members of the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts have attended various candy corn festivals in Virginia in anticipation of the coming holiday. Check out the pictures below from events in Stanardsville, Elkton, and Somerset.

During our visits to central Virginia, we stayed at the wonderful Lafayette Inn in Stanaradsville. If you're in the area, we recommend it! : )

Stanardsville:

Below: Located directly across the street from the International Order of Odd Fellows, the Standardsville Town Cen was the home to their candy corn festival (click the image to enlarge) -- and nothing could set a more festive mood better than faded posters of the Addams family from The Addams Family movie!

Below left: While in Standardsville, many of us visited Skyline Drive. Below right: We also had time of the southern end of the drive we also visited Swananoa Palace. We've posted pictures (and poems too) about Swananoa in the past (HERE).

Below left: One of Emmett Lee Dickinson's odes to his delicious treat, candy corn. Below right: Dickinson's poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem "I never lost as much but twice."

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

I never gained as much but twice –
And that was in the store.
Twice have I stood a buyer
Of bags of Candy Corn!

Angels – twice descending
Reinforced my need –
Sugar! Syrup – Dextrose!
Candy Corn indeed!

By Emily Dickinson:

I never lost as much but twice –
And that was in the sod.
Twice have I stood a beggar
Before the door of God!

Angels – twice descending,
Reimbursed my store –
Burglar! Banker – Father!
I am poor once more!

Elkton:

Below left: After a Emmett Lee Dickinson poetry reading in the Elkton Community Center, we meandered through the candy corn festival in the streets of town (below right).

Below: Miscellaneous photos from in and around Elkton.

Somerset:

Below: There was plenty of candy corn to go around for everyone at the candy corn festival in Somerset.

Below left & right: While in Somerset, we ventured into the largest corn maze east of the Mississippi at Libertymills Farm, and we strolled through their very sincere pumpkin patch.

National Candy Corn Day is October 30th. Celebrate, but please -- celebrate responsibly!

WARNING: Do NOT consume bags of candy corn on National Candy Corn Day if you are experiencing any sort of bowel blockage.

One Year Later

10/27/2018

From our entertainment editor, Qwerty Lee Dickinson:

If you have kept up with our recent posts about National Candy Corn Day, then you know that this year’s celebration will be a somber affair as the world honors Candace “Candy” Koren on the one-year anniversary of her passing. Information is HERE.

Koren was the Chief Global Implementation Identity Consultant and Regional Paradigm Analyst for the World Candy Corn Congress in Baden-Baden, Germany.

On the anniversary of Koren’s death, the World Candy Corn Congress – with the support of many world-wide corporate sponsors – will host a Memorial Concert in Baden-Baden.

Below: Some of the many corporate sponsors for Memorial Concert for Candance "Candy" Koren: Doritos -- and their new line of Candy Corn Doritos; Trader Joe's, makers of Trader Joe's Sweet Candy Corn Salsa; Dr. Scholl's, makers of Candy Corn Cushions for corn relief.

Brach to the Future

10/14/2018

From our food editor, Verla Burrell-Bordelon:

This year, National Candy Corn Day (October 30th) will miss some of its joy and frivolity as the world observes the one-year anniversary of the death of Candace "Candy" Koren, the former Chief Global Implementation Identity Consultant and Regional Paradigm Analyst for the World Candy Corn Congress (WCCC) in Baden-Baden, Germany. To mark the event, the WCCC will host a Memorial Concert at the Gustavo Brach Theatre in Baden-Baden. Information is HERE.

Of course, Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) invented candy corn, but it was Gustavo Brach who helped make it the world's most popular candy. From the moment he first tasted Dickinson's tri-colored confection in the late 1800s, Brach realized that candy corn represented the future of candy. In 1853 he ordered all of his candy factories to halt production of all candies except candy corn.

As a result of his devotion to the production of candy corn, Brach controlled the sale of Dickinson's popular candy in all of the territories in both eastern and western Europe. However, he soon faced competition from an upstart candy maker by the name of Walter Heisenberg. Heisenberg developed and distributed a blue version of Dickinson's treat.

Below: Gustavo Brach saw candy corn as the future of candy, and for a time he ordered his candy factories to make nothing but candy corn:

Below: Brach faced competition from upstart Walter Heisenberg who made a very addictive blue version of the candy:

Below: The Memorial Concert for Candace "Candy" Koren will be hold on October 30th, National Candy Corn Day," at the Gustavo Brach Theatre in Baden-Baden, Germany.

Below: Kingpins in the world of candy production at the Biennale Kongress Der Süßigkeiten und Süßwarenhersteller -- the Biennial Council of Confectionaries and Candy Makers -- in Baden-Baden, Germany, in 1853.

Standing in the back row, left to right:  Julius Jubes, the creator of JuJubes; Gustavo Brach, candy maker and lover of Emmett Lee Dickinson's candy corn; Moritz Werther, maker of caramel-flavored hard candies; min-maker Klaus Altoid; and world-famous candy-maker Phineas Gobbschtopper, inventor of the jaw breaker.

Sitting in the front row, left to right: Walter Heisenberg, and upstart candy maker who produced a very addictive blue version of Dickinson's candy corn; brothers Mike and Ike Zimmermann, pioneers in the field of gummy candies and licorice.

Standing at the far right in the front row:  Jürgen Gutbarr, a chocolate maker whom Hershey's named their "Mr. Goodbar" candy bar.

Memorial Day

10/1/2018

From our food editor, Verla Burrell-Bordelon:

October 30th is National Candy Corn Day, and normally it is a festive day filled with joy and whimsy – and of course, plenty of candy corn (invented in the 1800s by Emmett Lee Dickinson, Emily Dickinson’s third cousin, twice removed – at her request).

However, this year, National Candy Corn Day will be a somber affair as we remember the life of Candace “Candy” Koren, the former Chief Global Implementation Identity Consultant and Regional Paradigm Analyst for the World Candy Corn Congress in Baden-Baden, Germany, who died last year on National Candy Corn Day.

Here is a summary of the events from last year that led to Ms. Koren’s passing:

* On September 23, 2017, one “Elon James White” (if that is his real name) used the Twitter account @elonjames to tweet that Donald Trump was “the candy corn of people.”

* We immediately condemned this remark on behalf of candy corn lovers -- and the North American Candy Corn Council.

* When news crossed the Atlantic, Ms. Koren called TWIB.FM in Oakland, California, to demand a retraction and an apology from Mr. White. She was placed on hold, and she remained on hold for more than four weeks. She was determined to hold until Mr. White picked up the phone, but Mr. White refused to take her call.

* Ms. Koren was undeterred. She held the line and missed her child’s Back-to-School Night. She held the line and did not go home to feed her cats. She held the line and missed four weeks of her bowling league which significantly handicapped her team, the Incredi-Bowls.

* Last year, on October 30 – National Candy Corn Day – we reported the heartbreaking and tragic news that Ms. Koren had died. Her last words were, “Yes, I’ll continue to hold for Mr. White.”

* This year, in honor of Candance “Candy” Koren, the Dickinson Organization of Poetry Enthusiasts and the Emmett Lee Dickinson Museum will join with the World Candy Corn Congress in Baden-Baden, Germany, to host a memorial concert dedicated to the life and work of Ms. Koren.

This concert promises to be one of the highest-attended concerts of all time. Who has already signed letters of possible intent to perform? Only some of the biggest celebrities and musicians in the world today! A list of potential entertainers is below:

Nicki Minaj and Cardi B (rumor has it that they will sing National Candy Corn Day holiday songs by Irving Berlin)

Arax Krikorina, John Goodman’s stunt double

Two members of the John Mayer Trio and Four members of Maroon 5

Mike Lindell, inventor of “My Pillow”

Thomas Barbusca, Peter Pan in GEICO’s 2015 commercial, will reprise this, his greatest role

Lewis Black, political comedian and confessed “candy corn addict" (will sing Ma Nah Ma Nah!)

Lindsay Lohan and the Syrian Refugee National Radio Children’s Choir

Ye -- appearing with the founder of Bikers for Trump Chis Cox’s “Wall of Meat” Dancers

Pictured below: One of the last pictures of Candace "Candy" Koren as she patiently waited on hold for Elon James White (if that is his real name).

More on the Memorial Concert for Candace "Candy" Koren on National Candy Corn Day will be posted soon!

Candy Crush

9/16/2018

From our food editor Verla Burrell-Bordelon:

The War on Christmas is a myth. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a matter of fact, the War on Christmas is actually a yuletide ruse meant to inflate an already bloated level of a rising Christmas tide. The entire hoax is nothing more than an extravagant campaign in an actual war – the War on National Candy Corn Day.

National Candy Corn Day is celebrated on October 30th, a date set by Emmett Lee Dickinson, Emily Dickinson’s third cousin, twice removed (at her request) and the inventor of candy corn. However, as the popularity of the holiday grew and grew, retailers and commercial purveyors of Christmas cheer grew more and more worried. In the 1950s the NRA (National Retailers Association) plotted an elaborate and insidious War on National Candy Corn Day, and a major part of their sinister scheme was to fabricate a “War on Christmas” – and through this ho-ho-hoax, the NRA and big box department stores could introduce Christmas displays, parades and sales earlier and earlier each year.

We are just half-way through September. Have you seen a Christmas display already? I have. As a matter of fact, I have seen multiple Christmas displays.

Have you seen a National Candy Corn Day display? I haven’t. Not. A. Single. One.

By the late 1800s, Emmett Lee Dickinson saw the War on National Candy Corn coming (he was quite a visionary), and he was incensed. He documented his ire and indignation in his poem “There’s the War on Candy Corn” (below on the left). His poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem “There's the Battle of Burgoyne” (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

There’s the War on Candy Corn –
Battled, every Year,
It’s a Time of Man and Treat
Christmas isn’t near
“Christmas” sounds majestic –
So that solemn War
Hard to comprehend it
Hastened in the store –

By Emily Dickinson:

There's the Battle of Burgoyne –
Over, every Day,
By the Time that Man and Beast
Put their work away
"Sunset" sounds majestic –
But that solemn War
Could you comprehend it
You would chastened stare –

Below: A NCCD holiday card from 1947 depicting Cornucopia Chris who would bring toys and candy corn to children.

During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the NRA (National Retailers Association) began to worry of the immense popularity of National Candy Corn Day. Families were decorating their houses, putting up candy corn trees, sending National Candy Corn Day cards and more -- and it was all having an adverse impact on Christmas. The NRA devised the mythical "War on Christmas" as a way to combat National Candy Corn Day. In effect, their conspiracy was, in effect, a War on National Candy Corn Day.

Below: Candy corn trees that used to adorn every house in America for National Candy Corn Day.

Utterly Conventional Opinions All Right-Thinking People Should Share

11/2/2017

The battles in this year's War on National Candy Corn Day were hard fought. In the past twenty-four hours, though, @electricland on Twitter offered a glimmer of hope.

First, if you are unfamiliar with all that has happened, here is some background:

* We wrote about the opening shots on the War on National Candy Corn Day HERE and HERE.

* In response to the various conflicts and confrontations, were launched a five-installment prodcast (similar to a podcast - -but with no audio) in defense of candy corn. You can read the installments HERE (1st), HERE (2nd), HERE (3rd), HERE (4th), and HERE (5th).

* The battles then intensified, and we reported it all HERE.

* Then the actual day rolled around (HERE), and tragic news marred the festivities (HERE).

* We then reported on the final shots in the on-going confrontation (HERE and HERE).

If you are aware of the struggles candy corn lovers faced, then you will be relieved to know that there was at least a glimmer of hope offered to candy cornians by Robin Marwick, @electricland on Twitter.

Yesterday, Ms. Marwick tweeted a number of "utterly conventional opinions all right-thinking people should share." Her catalog of tweets started like this:

Then, for each "like" her tweet received, Ms. Marwick offered an opinion that "all right-thinking people should share," including the following:

After Ms. Marwick posted 20-plus truths, I posted one this morning:

At first, Ms. Marwick responded with a statement that was truly unbelievable: "I've never eaten candy corn but this seems fair." WHAT??? Someone on this planet has NEVER tasted candy corn?

Then she continued with the following statement:

Whether one has tried candy corn or not, will society ever reach a point where we can move beyond the hatred of the popular candy and the vilification of those who love it?

As a matter of fact, Ms. Marwick's comment inspired us to list the TOP TEN worthy/popular items that people love to hate:

1. Candy Corn
2. Oxford Commas
3. The French
4. Rick Astley Songs
5. People of Walmart
6. Group Texts
7. Crocs
8. Ghostbusters with Women
9. Internet Explorer
10. People Who Say "Hashtag" (and then cross their fingers to form one)

Perhaps, one day, we'll reach a point where the merits of all ten of those items will be realized, and we can move beyond the loathing and hostility.

Ms. Marwick posted her inventory of truths with this:

War Is Hell

11/1/2017

tThe War on National Candy Corn Day (October 30th) is real. We reported on it HERE .

Although candy cornians have made progress in recent years, this year the battles fought have been particularly ferocious. Just yesterday we described some of the fierce clashes HERE.

The most brutal attacks began in late September when Elon James White, the host of a podcast called “This Week in Blackness” and a struggling comedian, tweeted that Donald Trump was the “candy corn of people.”

NEVER has the candy corn culture been attacked with such venom.

To make matters worse, White’s coldhearted assertion only emboldened other haters. Soon other bullies, tormentors, and mischief-makers were posting shameless declarations of disgust linking candy corn to Donald Trump.

Take a look:

Candy cornians around the world rose up in unity to demand an apology from Elon James White, but he has refused to do so. He has not expressed regret, nor has he retracted his statement.

The entire sordid affair calls to mind Emmett Lee Dickinson’s poem “A Tweet devoid of love so sweet” (below on the left). The poem inspired third cousin Emily to pen her poem “A face devoid of love or grace” (below on the right). Perhaps, too, the lines will inspire White to apologize. One can only hope.

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

A Tweet devoid of love so sweet,
A hateful, hard, disgraceful tweet,
A tweet with which a snake
Would feel as thoroughly at ease
As were they old acquaintances –
When harm they undertake.

By Emily Dickinson:

A face devoid of love or grace,
A hateful, hard, successful face,
A face with which a stone
Would feel as thoroughly at ease
As were they old acquaintances –
First time together thrown.

More Sweet Candy Corn

10/31/2017

Yesterday was National Candy Corn Day. Now, as they say, there are 364 shopping days left until the next National Candy Corn Day.

Of course, National Candy Corn Day should have been a day of merriment and mirth (in addition to the consumption of bags and bags of candy corn). Instead, it was a day of madness and mourning.

The mourning: News broke early on NCCD of the death of Candace “Candy” Koren, the Chief Global Implementation Identity Consultant and Regional Paradigm Analyst for the World Candy Corn Congress. News about her passing is HERE.

The madness: The day was filled with non-stop work on the part of the resistance against the War on National Candy Corn Day and the persecution of candy cornians.

This is just an infinitesimally small amount of the provocation and persecution we had to encounter and endure:

We persevered as best we could, though! We answered tweet for tat! We posted positive images of the isoscelean candy. We published images of resistance – like the following:

Below: The March for Candy Corn in Washington, DC.

Every year we look forward to National Candy Corn Day, and every year we fight the fight to combat the War on National Candy Corn Day. Of course, all of our efforts are worth it, because we know that NCCD will roll again next year, and we’ll have yet another opportunity to “instigate an appetite for more sweet candy corn,” as affirmed in Emmett Lee Dickinson’s poem “That it will always come again” (below on the left).

Perhaps Dickinson’s poem will inspire you to eat a little more candy corn. It did inspire his third cousin Emily to pen her poem “That it will never come again” (below on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

That it will always come again
Is what makes life so sweet.
Believe what some don’t believe
Does not exasperate.

That when it comes, it be at best
A time of life reborn,
That instigates an appetite
For more sweet candy corn.

By Emily Dickinson:

That it will never come again
Is what makes life so sweet.
Believing what we don't believe
Does not exhilarate.

That if it be, it be at best
An ablative estate –
This instigates an appetite
Precisely opposite.

Continue to fight the fight! Candy corn matters.