The Chocolate Factory

On Shrove Tuesday we went on a PA Cyber Charter School field trip to Gardner's Chocolate Factory in Tyrone, Pennsylvania. Tyrone is a small town tucked into the mountains which looks like the set of a 1940's film noir. Relying upon the computer for directions can be hazardous since the online map does not take into account missing road signs. I ended up driving all over town. I would never have guessed from passing Tyrone on the freeway that it was large enough to get lost in, but it is. Providentially, we found the original candy shop where they had printed directions to the factory.

The factory was on the outskirts of the borough, surrounded by hills and trees. Despite our lateness, the manager kindly let us join the tour already in progress. The children were in awe of the huge slabs of chocolate which were melted into eggs, bunnies and the famous peanut butter meltaways. Although it was a factory, with machines and conveyor belts, there was a level of craftsmanship and pride in making an outstanding product that gave the whole place an aura of another era. The workers were not so much workers as they were artisans. One woman could tell just by her touch if the chocolate was the right temperature and consistency. I suppose it is such skill which has made Gardner's continue to thrive when so many other native Pennsylvania businesses have closed down. The company is over a hundred years old, begun by sixteen year old Jimmy Gardner who sold peanuts, candy and popcorn from a little shop on the streets of Tyrone. It is the kind of story which is often found in both American and Pennsylvanian history, that of hard work and ingenuity which was not only rewarded by success, but which helped to build a prosperous nation. Share