We know some “colonels” in the military - Army worms. Army worms can destroy an entire crop of corn in a matter of days and then the entire "army" will move to another area for food. They migrate at night when it's cool or when it's cloudy, so the vast damage is often seen after they've moved on. Of course, the Army caterpillar matures into an Army moth - I guess being "all that they can be."
I think we need the Salvation Army, which was founded in 1865 by William Booth, a London minister who left the pulpit and went to the streets to spread his message to the poor and the homeless. During World War II, The Salvation Army operated 3,000 service units for the armed forces, which led to the formation of the USO. Today, The Salvation Army operates in over 106 nations around the world. I love this slogan!
Some of our most favorite foods were first sold and sampled at state fairs! Elmer Hires served the first root beer in 1866 and shared his invention at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. Cotton candy (called fairy floss) and Dr. Pepper were served for the first time at the St. Louis World Fair in 1885. Also in 1885, Charlie Nagreen, also known as "Hamburger Charlie," was making meatballs (ground beef patties were called meatballs) at the Seymour Fair in Wisconsin and decided that he would flatten a meatball and put it in between two slices of bread so that it would be easy to carry. The hamburger was born!
The World's Fair: Columbian Exposition, also called The Chicago World's Fair, was held in Chicago and ran from May to October 30, 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher's Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Forty-six nations participated in the fair (it was the first world's fair to have national pavilions). The exposition covered more than 600 acres, featuring nearly 200 new (but purposely temporary) buildings, canals and lagoons, and people and cultures from around the world.
Most of it was unfinished on opening day. To hasten the painting process during construction of the fair in 1892, Franci Davis Millet invents spray painting! The famous Ferris wheel (the original Ferris wheel built by George Ferris) was a major attendance draw and helped save the fair from bankruptcy. Buffalo Bill set up his highly popular show next door to the fair and brought in a great deal of revenue that he did not have to share with the developers. Nonetheless, construction and operation of the fair proved to be a windfall for Chicago workers during the serious economic recession that was sweeping the country.
The Exposition drew nearly 26 million visitors. It was the inspiration for the Emerald City of the Land of Oz and Walt Disney theme parks. Walt Disney's father, Elias, was a construction worker on some of the buildings at the fair. Early in July, a Wellesley College English teacher named Katherine Lee Bates visited the fair. The White City inspired the reference to "alabaster cities" in her poem America the Beautiful! White City was an area at the fair where the buildings were made of white stucco and that used a lot of street lights which made the boulevards and buildings usable at night.
Frederick William Rueckheim and his brother Louis sold Cracker Jack at the Chicago World Fair. At the time, it was a mixture of popcorn, molasses, and peanuts and was called "Candied Popcorn and Peanuts." It was sold in large tubs until 1899, when Henry Gottlieb Eckstein developed the "waxed sealed package," known then as the "Eckstein Triple Proof Package."
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" was written in 1908 by Jack Norworth with the line "buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack!" In 1958, on the 50th anniversary of this song, the Major League Baseball, Inc. presented Jack Norworth with a gold lifetime ball park pass. Beginning in 1912, prizes were included in every box of Cracker Jack. In recent years, the toy and trinket prizes have been replaced with paper prizes displaying riddles and jokes.
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" was written in 1908 by Jack Norworth with the line "buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack!" In 1958, on the 50th anniversary of this song, the Major League Baseball, Inc. presented Jack Norworth with a gold lifetime ball park pass. Beginning in 1912, prizes were included in every box of Cracker Jack. In recent years, the toy and trinket prizes have been replaced with paper prizes displaying riddles and jokes.
Fred Rueckheim's grandson, Robert, was put on the box in his sailor suit with his pet dog Bingo. They called him "Jack the Sailor." Sadly, Robert died of pneumonia at the age of eight. The sailor boy image acquired such meaning for Fred Rueckheim that he had it carved on his tombstone, which can still be seen in St. Henry's Cemetery in Chicago. Bingo was based on a real-life dog named Russell, a stray dog adopted by Henry Eckstein in 1917, who demanded that the dog be used on the packaging. Russell died of old age in 1930.
In 2004, the New York Yankees baseball team replaced Cracker Jack with the similar Crunch 'n Munch at home games. After a public outcry, the club immediately switched back to Cracker Jack!
Poppycock was invented by Harold Vair in the 1950s as a snack for road trips. It is clusters of popcorn, almonds, and pecans covered in a candy glaze. Fiddle Faddle was introduced in 1967 and is popcorn covered with either caramel or butter toffee and mixed with peanuts. This is similar to Crunch ‘n Munch, which has fewer peanuts than Fiddle Faddle, but Fiddle Faddle has smaller popcorn pieces.
Poppycock is also an expression that means rubbish or nonsense. Fiddle and Faddle were also Secret Service code names for two White House secretaries employed by John F. Kennedy (hmmmm).
THE WORLD'S BEST CARAMEL CORN
3 bags buttered, salted microwave popcorn
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
1 cup light corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup butter
Lay a 30 x 30 sheet of foil on your counter. Spray the foil lightly with cooking spray.
Pop the popcorn and place in a very large bowl. Transfer by handfuls to another very large bowl, letting the "grannies" drop to the bottom.
Place the other ingredients in a large, heavy pan. Cook over medium-medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramel almost reaches the Firm Ball stage (240-245 degrees on a candy thermometer). Pour over popcorn and combine with a LONG wooden spoon (so you don't burn your hands).
Pour this mixture onto the foil and let cool. SWEET!
ENJOY!
You had to know that Tom and Jerry were going to "pop" up soon! "Popcorn" was originally composed by Gershon Kingsley in 1969 on his album Music to Moog By! The most well-known version was by Hot Butter in 1972.
