Thank you, Historic New England! I have been honored as the winner of the 2023 Prize for Collecting Works on Paper for my lifetime achievement as curator of the Candy Wrapper Museum and my books "Necco–An Epic Candy Tale" and "Necco–The Archive Collection,” which chronicle the history of the New England Confectionery Company and its family of brands from the 19th through the 21st centuries.

Historic New England is the oldest and largest regional heritage organization in the nation. Their prize honors a collector or dealer who has assembled or helped save significant collections related to New England and its diverse communities or to the nation as a whole. I would have never dreamed when I started my collection as a teen that I would receive an honor of such prestige.

For the uninitiated, Stuckey's is a nostalgic chain of roadside convenience stores that is famous for its Pecan Nut Roll and all kinds of great corny souvenirs. Stuckey’s got its start in the 1930s and had its heyday for decades, but by the time I was a teenager in the ‘70s it was down on its luck, at least where I lived in Southern California. If I recall correctly, there were two out in the desert, one in Afton that you drove past on the way to Vegas, and one in Newberry Springs that you drove past on the way to Arizona. Both were dying. The Afton location hung on the longest. My friends and I realized that it wouldn’t be long before the delights of Stuckey’s would be gone altogether, so on a road trip in the late 70s we made a point of stopping at the last one and buying an iconic Pecan Nut Roll and a great ashtray and companion matchbook. This is what you call “thinking ahead.” I enjoy these acquisitions to this day!

Stuckey’s is back in the news now. Stephanie Stuckey is on a mission to revive the chain in its former kitschy glory. Don’t forget to bring back the ash trays!

Knock Knock! That was a familiar sound at our front door when I was growing up in the 60s and 70s. So many people came to the door---kids looking to play with other kids, the paperboy collecting money, teens selling raffle tickets for school fundraisers, door-to-door salesmen with vacuums, the Avon lady dropping by, moms and dads coming over to share local news, Girl Scouts selling cookies, and the Camp Fire Girls selling candy.

​As an adult today, my front door is much quieter, but the Camp Fire Girls are still going strong and still selling candy for their annual fundraisers. Since 1950, they have sold a variety of delicious candy---peanut clusters, assorted chocolates, butter mints, double nut dips, Almond Roca, mint royales, almond caramel clusters, chocolate mint truffles, P-Nuttles, Heath Toffee bars and miniatures, and most famously, their mint patties.

As curator of the Candy Wrapper Museum, naturally my focus has been on the Camp Fire Girls' candy for years, but I recently discovered that there's more to their story when it comes to sweet treats. I began to learn more about them when I purchased this cute cook book from the 1940s featuring a can-do Camp Fire bugle girl. Read on to find out what I learned about campout cooking and how this booklet led me to the discovery of the Camp Fire Girls' other sugary contribution to popular culture, Rice Krispies Marshmallow Treats.

Now, I realize that some of you are going to judge me for lacking knowledge about the social graces with what I'm going to confess, but I also learned the difference between dinner and supper by reading this guide. I thought they were one and the same, but now I have learned that dinner is the main meal of the day and can be enjoyed at any hour whereas supper is the lighter meal for the end of a long day.

You may have noticed reading this that Kellogg's cereal played a role in the Camp Fire Girls' daily nutrition. Makes sense since this booklet was published by the Home Economics Department of Kellogg's Kitchen in Battle Creek, Michigan. But this led me to wonder why? This question led me to find that the Camp Fire Girls were the catalyst that brought Rice Krispies Marshmallow Treats into the world.

It's hard to imagine a world without Marshmallow Treats, but here's a video from a 1950s ad campaign enticing America's moms to give them a try. Who could resist the persuasive ways of Woody Woodpecker and 25 cents?

So, the next time you snack on one of these ubiquitous bars, thank the Camp Fire Girls.