By Amy Mann
Children’s Services

What’s the first holiday of the year that features candy as an integral part of its celebration?

Valentine’s Day has become big business for places that sell sweets, such as discount stores, supermarkets, pharmacies, and even gas stations. The most popular confection for the February holiday is…drumroll, please…boxed chocolates.

The first heart-shaped box of chocolates was created by Richard Cadbury (yes, those Cadburys.) They were introduced for Valentine’s Day in 1861, and today, more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of the creamy confections are sold each year.

In second place are those cute little boxes of candy hearts. Let’s go back in history to 1847. A Boston pharmacist named Oliver Chase invented a machine that made medical lozenges in a simpler and speedier way. He switched to making candy with his new invention, and the New England Confectionary Company (Necco) was born.

Oliver’s brother, Daniel, started printing sentiment messages on the Necco sweethearts in 1866. More than eight billion conversation hearts are manufactured each year. That’s almost 100,000 pounds per day from February to February. Don’t worry too much about them becoming stale. The boxes, with candy printed with sayings like “True Love” and “You Rock,” have a shelf life of five years.

The Necco Company went out of business in 2019, but the Spangler Candy Company of Bryan, Ohio, who also makes candy canes, took over and is now manufacturing some of Necco’s signature candies, including candy hearts. Bryan is less than two hours northeast of Warsaw. After the pandemic, a visit to the museum and store may be in order. Brach’s also makes conversation hearts. They just weren’t the original manufacturers of the product.

Speaking of sweet things, don’t forget about Warsaw Community Public Library’s Winter Reading Program for patrons of all ages. Sign up online if you haven’t already, chart your progress, and come in for some sweet prizes. The program will conclude at the end of February. Visit the library online at warsawlibrary.org or call (574) 267-6011 for more information.