“Sweetness on the State Line: A Chronicle of Candy-Making in Bristol” will have its official opening reception Thursday Oct. 12 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and will run until Jan. 31, 2007, as a showcase of the newly renovated Reece Museum. Representatives from four candy companies will be present and free samples of sugar stick candies will be offered.
The exhibit features a collection of antique machinery, copper kettles, photographs and samples of the sugar stick candy that Bristol has specialized in spanning from 1909 to modern day.
Helms Candy Co., the original and one of the most prolific candy companies in Bristol, continues to cook their sugar stick candies in copper kettles over an open fire in a nearly identical way as they did in 1909. As part of a partnership with Dimetapp brand pharmaceuticals in 1998, Helms is also now the leading manufacturer of medicated lollipops in the world.
Ratliff Candy Co., founded in 1952, is a father and son operation in their third generation.
They specialize in hand-making intricate and delectable peppermint candy cane baskets, cups, and candleholders. Originally sold to the working class in coalfields, these products have now been sold in Bloomingdale’s catalogue for 15 years.
The exhibit was produced by Lisa Elliot, a student in the Masters of Arts and Liberal studies with emphasis on Appalachian studies and academic adviser to the Kingsport campus.
She has conducted an immense amount of research and gathering to accurately represent this history, including sorting through 100 years of Bristol directories, interviewing the remaining key figures and collecting artifacts that date from the beginning to now.
“This has been one of the most challenging things I have ever done in my life,” Elliot said.
Elliot’s research into the history of candy making in Bristol began in the spring semester of 2006 as part of a Foodways of Appalachia Course, in which she interviewed 95-year-old Frank Loudry. Her findings appeared in the Kingsport Times-News and were subsequently picked up by Theresa Burchett-Anderson, Reece Museum director.
Fred Sauceman, Elliot’s instructor and columnist for the Kingsport Times-News, offered his opinion about the exhibit.
“As candy-makers will readily tell you, this is an art form, one that takes years of practice, an abundance of patience, and a dedication to quality,” said Sauceman. “I think most people in the region have no idea that candy-making has occurred on such a large scale in Bristol.

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