Easton's Eye Candy ...

“Candy kisses wrapped in paper mean more to you than any of mine

Candy kisses wrapped in paper you’d rather have them any old time …”

    ~ “Candy Kisses”

   ~written & first recorded by American country crooner George Morgan, 1949

   ~ Recorded by artists including

               Tony Bennett, 1962

 

A beautiful, sun dappled late July afternoon in Centre Square, Easton, Pennsylvania reflects in the windows of The Carmelcorn Shop, the sweetest spot in this historic Delaware River Town, in this painterly, HDR image I shot on a perfect summer day. American flags are among the items in the inviting window display.

 

Just across the Delaware River from historic Phillipsburg, New Jersey, Easton was founded in 1752 and is located at the confluence of the Delaware River and Lehigh River.

 

According to the shop’s website http://www.carmelcornshop.com/ :

“Established in 1931 by John and Ruth Doherty, The Carmelcorn Shop has become an Easton institution. Well known for our homemade carmelcorn, popcorn, fresh-roasted nuts, fudge, and chocolates, The Carmelcorn Shop also carries sugar-free candy and a large assortment of gummies and old-time candies. Keeping with the tradition over the years, the shop was bought by Richard Baskin in 1985 then purchased by Tony and Sia Bassil in 1996 to present. Sia Bassil got her start at the shop in 1977. She was hired on the spot and the rest is history. We believe the reason the shop has held its stake in Easton for over 80 years is due to the friendly customer service, fresh, quality product, and the fact that generations have now grown up with the homemade fudge and caramel popcorn. We love our regular customers and we welcome those new to the experience.”

 

Candy Kisses ...

“Candy kisses wrapped in paper mean more to you than any of mine

Candy kisses wrapped in paper you’d rather have them any old time

You don’t mean it when you whisper those sweet love words in my ear

Candy kisses wrapped in paper mean more to you than mine do dear…”

                       ~ “Candy Kisses”

         

        ~written & recorded by American

 country crooner George Morgan

                               ~ 1949

                 ~ recorded by Tony Bennett

                                ~ 1961

Where else in the world would street lamps be topped with candy kisses than “the sweetest place on Earth” – Hershey, Pennsylvania!

Chocolate Avenue, which runs past the original Hershey’s Chocolate Factory and is considered to be the main street of the town, is known for its street lamps that are shaped like Hershey Kisses. These unique lamps were first erected in 1963. Some of the kisses are shown as being wrapped, and some as unwrapped, alternating between these two designs. These lamps can also be found on Park Avenue.

Chocolate Avenue was one of the first two streets built in the town of Hershey by Milton Hershey (1857-1945) when he built up the town for his chocolate empire; the other was Cocoa Avenue. The name of the street was picked by Milton Hershey himself. He picked names for many streets in the town that related to chocolate.

I shot this on a recent autumn jaunt to Hershey from the passenger seat of a moving car, as there was no parking on the street. If you’re going to hang out of a car window taking pictures, what better place to do so than the sweetest place on Earth!

Sweet Taste of Summer Video ...

Tony Bennett's "Candy Kisses" sets the tone for this celebration of summer showcased in my original nature photos. My greatest joy as a photographer is harmonizing my favorite original photos to music to create a lingering snapshot of the season.