'Sweet Home Chicago' Tells History Of Chicago's Candy Industry
CHICAGO (CBS) -- If you're a history buff, or a candy lover, or both, you might want to check out a new exhibit at the Niles Public Library.
"Sweet Home Chicago: the History of America's Candy Capital" opened Monday in the Franklin Gallery at the Niles Public Library, 6960 W. Oakton St.
"Not only does it come with 18 panels of a lot of very cool clever advertising from back in the day, there's also little display cases where you'll see old candy boxes," Library spokesman Sasha Vasilic said.
Former CBS 2 anchor Bill Kurtis also narrates a documentary entitled "Candyland USA," tracing the city's history in the candy industry.
Tootsie Rolls, Lemonheads, Milk Duds, World's Finest Chocolate, Frango Mints, and Fanny May's Mint Meltaways all had their start in Chicago.
"You think of Chicago as being the slaughterhouse of the world, and really it's also got this deep history of candy-making, which is a little bit more appealing," said Niles Public Library director Susan Dove Lempke (no relation to Dove candy).
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Barbara Ciechelski and her husband visited the exhibit. She and her father worked for Fanny May, so "it's like old home week."
"Hershey's was not in our house. Never was. Always had to be Fannie May," she said.
Her husband, Frank, remembered being near the Brach's plant, where his mother worked on the West Side.
"You get within a mile of it, you could smell the candy, the sweetness in the air," he said.
Besides informative panels and old candy boxes and containers, the exhibit also has quizzes that test how well you know your Chicago candies.
The free exhibit is open through May 31st at the Niles Public Library.
