Celebrate Kindness

In 1879, the U.S. declared the birthday of the first U.S. President George Washington birthday as a federal holiday and later it morphed into a joint celebration for the 16th President Abraham Lincoln.

That holiday now called Presidents' Day was celebrated yesterday and was a holiday for many school children, USPS and bank employees and others as well as a day of sales.

But, what I didn't know was that since the mid 1990s, the date of February 17, has been celebrated as Random Acts of Kindness Day in the U.S.

In a post last Friday, I noted that Random Acts of Kindness week started on Feb 9, so my timing for the post was a bit late.

It's never too late to celebrate kindness.

A day after that post, Sandra (MadSnapper blog) posted about having experienced two unexpected acts of kindness. Sadly, the same day she learned of the death of her dear friend, Jackie. Sandra mentioned she later read my post that mentioned random acts of kindness. She believes the ones she received earlier helped her heart process her friend's passing. 

Tom, my friend

I know how Sandra felt receiving with such news as today I received a call from his niece that my friend,Tom, had passed in his sleep a few days ago. His niece, Georgie, shared how much it meant to him that Tom and I kept in contact, although we hadn't seen one another since college, by  phone calls, text messages and cards. I remember that years ago, Tom's Christmas greeting would be the first one received and always had a poem about friendship. As his health declined, he no longer sent cards. Every holiday season, I remembered and made sure to send him the first holiday card, although I didn't have the poem.

What's the point of this post?

Quite simply it's that kindness comes in so many forms and costs little. 

We never truly know when a kind word or act will help us or others. I believe that unseen angels are all around. And, I am sure, that many of us have practiced and experienced kindness in small or big ways, like: saying hello to someone on the street or in an elevator, giving a compliment, letting someone go ahead of you in a line, donating to a charity, listening to someone, volunteering, writing a letter, calling someone, thanking someone, sending cards for no special reason — the list is endless . . .

Learning More

The Random Acts of Kindness movement started over 40 years ago in the San Francisco Bay Area when, in 1982, writer, editor and activist Anne Herbert wrote the phrase random kindness and senseless acts of beauty  which, according to some accounts, was reportedly based on the workind random acts of violence and senseless acts of cruelty. 

Herbert also wrote an article about random kindness in a 1982 article in CoEvolution Quarterly (1974-1985), a journal descended from the Whole Earth Catalog. This was an American counterculture magazine/product catalog published and edited by Stewart Brand from 1968 to 1972 which focused on product reviews, but also featured essays and articles. 

After Herbert's article appeared, the kindness movement spread in surrounding communities.

In 1991, a CA woman saw the phrase written on a wall in her neighborhood. She shared it with her  teacher husband who then shared it with his students. One of those students was the daughter of a San Francisco Chronicle columnist, who wrote about Herbert and the phrase. The article was picked up nationally by Reader’s Digest and later reprinted by the editors of Conari Press, a small Berkeley, CA publishing company founded in 1987 and known for releasing titles dealing with spirituality, personal growth, parenting and social issues.

 

Inspired by the phrase and those involved in the movement, in 1993 Conari Press published a children's book, Random Acts of Kindness, written by Anne Herbert that highlighted true stories of acts of kindness. Readers of the book, and followers of the phrase, began creating local Random Acts of Kindness Days. (Herbert died in CA in 2015 at age 65; however, copies of the book are still available for purchase online.)

 

In February 1995, the first national Random Acts of Kindness Day happened with participants coast-to-coast. Conari Press funded and facilitated this initial event. 

 

That same year, the Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Foundation was created in the CA Bay Area to facilitate future celebrations. These would occur annually during Valentine’s Day week in February. 

While, I couldn't find an exact timeframe, online articles indicated that within a short time, the RAK foundation was purchased by a private foundation and relocated to Denver, CO. Now, this small non-profit organization invests resources in making kindness the norm by inspiring and facilitating kindness through free resources that focus on schools, workplaces, homes and communities. 

Donations Not Accepted

According to its website, the foundation does not do grant money and neither does it accept donations, but is privately endowed. It provides online resources for individuals to create kindness in their own communities, but does not offer facilitated opportunities. Digital materials are found at its website: www.randomactsofkindness.org

There's Another Kindness Day 

A similar annual celebration is held November 13 when World Kindness Day is celebrated to promote awareness of global goodwill by encouraging people to perform acts of kindness. Introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, it's observed worldwide.

Now, I know the rest of the story and so do all of you

Kindness is contagious — pass it on.

Friday Funnies

Today, February 14, the U.S. celebrates Valentine's Day with candy, flowers, greeting cards and romantic dinners. Other countries worldwide have own unique ways to celebrate the day. My personal preference is to call it Hearts ❤️ Day.

Maxine at Hudson, NH, senior center

Maxine is decked out for the day at the senior center, we attend as members. This lady is a regular at the center and is always dressed for a holiday occasion.

John Wagner, creator of Maxine

In 1986, 25-year old Hallmark™ artist John Wagner created an edgy old lady he called Maxine for the Shoebox Greetings card line. He said that he based the character on family members, his mother, grandmother and maiden aunts, who helped raise him. Wagner retired from Hallmark in 2011. Maxine has not retired and is still going very popular.

❤️ In 1982, magazine writer and editor Anne Herbert coined the phrase "practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty." Random Acts of Kindness Week, started Feb 9 but can should always continue with selfless acts that make others happy and these small acts. There are many bloggers, including some on my side bar list, who are going through difficult times and would enjoy receiving comments. Surely, you also know of others as well. If so, you might consider a mention or link to his/her blog on yours. ❤️

We never go out on this date. After our usual Friday dominoes get together at the senior center today, our evening will consist of making homemade pizza, enjoying adult beverages and watching a couple of rom-com films from our DVD collection.

How about you — Any Special Plans for today, evening or weekend?

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone & Happy ❤️ Day

There's more snow forecast for Nashua, NH

A Winter 🎂 Getaway

Winter has definitely arrived in NH the past few weeks with several snowfalls here in Nashua. While many folks are longing for someplace with warmer temps, we opted for a snowy, cold getaway in the White Mountains for my 🎂 celebration. Admittedly, we never need any reason for a road trip.

Although, it had snowed a few days earlier, we traveled on cleared main highways with blue skies views that were winter postcard perfect.

We stayed once again at the Mountain View Grand Hotel. This wasn't our first trip to one of America's few remaining grand hotels that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mountain View Grand Hotel, Whitefield, NH

This was not our first stay in the hotel and we received a return visitor discount and perhaps a nicer room for my birthday (shamelessly mentioned when booking). We had first visited in 2016 for our traditional first date anniversary celebration and have returned several times, most recently in 2022. 

Spacious and open main lobby, part of front porch and bar

The hotel's start as a guest house dates to 1865 when it began as the Mountain View House. Its history was explained in this 2016 post, so won't be repeated here.) Unfortunately, its claim for oldest operating elevator in the state of NH is history. The elevator has been deemed unsafe and is out of service per a posted notice.

Our room provided wonderful mountain views

This corner room had outstanding views of the Presidential Mountain range, which are not all named after presidents. The highest peak is Mt Washington, named after George Washington by the Rev. Manasseh Cutler after he climbed it in 1784.

The rest of the presidential peaks were named in a single day in the summer of 1820. A group from Lancaster, NH, hired Ethan Crawford as their guide because of his mountaineering skills. 

Sunset on the Presidential range

As the tallest peak was already named for Washington, the next tallest was named for second president, John Adams, continuing down the line with Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. When the naming party ran out of presidents, two peaks remained. One was named after Benjamin Franklin, the other was named Mt Pleasant; in 1969 a vote of the NH legislature renamed it Mt Eisenhower.

Morning drive to our destination along a winter wonderland 

The day after our arrival, we were up early for a 45-minute drive to the destination of this adventure, the Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center in Pinkham Notch. There was an overnight snowfall of a few inches and while roadways were clear, the trees were beautifully snow-covered. At times we were the lone car on the road, a wonderful wintry experience.

Many folks claim bragging rights (we did too) of having driven the Mt Washington Auto Road in summer by a This Car Climbed Mt. Washington sticker placed on their car; however, there's something unique about making the trip in winter 🥶 — but not in our car.

This white utility van with four triangular tracks vs. wheels maneuvers the snow-covered Mt. Washington Auto Road in the winter months

Instead, this was the reason for our getaway adventure, a trip in this Mt Washington SnowCoach. We joined 4 other passengers (it can take 8) for a 90-minute trip which doesn't travel to the Mt Washington summit, but only to the winter turnoff, a clearing that sits just above 4,200 feet elevation. This also called the tree line found at high elevations and high latitudes. It's the point at which trees, aside from small shrubs, can't grow, due to conditions that are too dry, cold or windy. Tree line and timberline are terms often used interchangeably.

The drivers for each rig are knowledgeable about the terrain and history of the area. The 90-minute tour ascends to 4,200 feet in elevation. Reservations are required. We booked the senior mid-week rate at $69/person (discounted from the peak $89 rate during holidays).

The rubber tracks provide stability on the road which averages a 12% grade

The Mt. Washington SnowCoach has four triangular tracks instead of wheels. These rubber tracks, similar to tank treads (also called Mattracks) allow the SnowCoach to travel over snow, ice or thin patches of bare road without damaging the surface and provide stability on the winding road which averages a 12% grade. Similar vehicles use a ski system vs. tracks, depending on the terrain and conditions. 

How the SnowCoach Began

When the Mount Washington Summit Road Company first opened the Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center in 1994, one of the activities offered was a ride up to “Halfway” on the Auto Road, using a diesel-powered snowcat outfitted with a passenger cabin.  The plan was to provide transportation for skiers to descend the bottom half of the road, which was being groomed simultaneously each run by the snowcat. The plan proved to be cost-prohibitive; however, the idea of a winter tour with a unique snow-laden scenery, was established. The company shifted from using the snowcat to a passenger van, named the SnowCoach.

Prepping for Performance

By 8 a.m., SnowCoach drivers arrive and go through their own vehicle checks which include the track system, vehicle interior, and cleanliness of the windows for clearest viewing. Several times during our tour, Bruce topped to clear the windows from blowing snow and ice. After each day's run, a SnowCoach is taken to maintenance building and checked out before the next ascent. Our driver, Bruce, informed us that there's a complete inspection of the tracks and the van’s mechanical parts, checking fluids, belts, fuel lines and brake systems. 

Bruce, our SnowCoach driver and guide, gave me a front row seat

It’s a loud and rumbling ride because of these treads. Our driver, Bruce, told us he had been a driver for a number of years. As a birthday treat (never be bashful about sharing) that's me in the front passenger seat. My only function was to enjoy the ride as Bruce provided a running commentary and we checked out the surrounds. 

The start of the tour was clear and calm

The trip began in a Northeastern hardwood forest and was relatively calm after the SnowCoach left the base of the Auto Road at Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center. There's 3 tours daily with more than five vans equipped to run in peak periods, weather permitting, December through March. Vans have been converted to bi-fuel, letting them operate on cleaner-burning, less expensive propane or conventional gasoline. The first tour leaves before 10 am, another at mid-day and a final one around 2 pm. We were on the mid-day tour as the tour start was a 45-minute drive from our hotel.

The higher we went, the more extreme the weather became with blowing snow

As more elevation was gained, the trees become stunted, misshaped by continuous exposure to wind and cold. The winds became more noticeable and also audible, but the coach was very comfortable and warm. According to our driver and guide, Bruce, the outside temperature was about -4°F with a windchill factor of -22°F degrees and 40 mph winds.

While everyone else departed in the subarctic temps, I stayed warm in the van

Our tour stopped at the Top of the Tour, the winter turnoff having traveled through various landscapes to reach 4,200-feet elevation (4.25 to 4.5 miles) at treeline, the border to the alpine zone with subarctic conditions. While Grenville joined Bruce and the other passengers in braving the harsh outside conditions on a mountain known for the world's most severe weather for photos, I remained inside the warm and comfortable van. We learned that while views can be amazing on a sunnier day, this wasn't the case on our tour. The group didn't stay out more than five minutes in the blowing wind, snow and very cold temps before re-boarding for our trip back to the base.

Visibility became reduced on the way down due to white-outs

These photos show the blowing snow on the way down without trees to block the blowing snow, drifting can occur.. A couple of times, our driver stopped until visibility cleared a bit. SnowCoaches reach the Alpine zones safely due to night-time grooming by Great Glen’s grooming crew plus constant monitoring of conditions by drivers throughout the day. We learned that the last tour the day we traveled had been canceled because of blowing snow and whiteouts. Forgot to mention that those seeing more adventure can ride up in the SnowCoach and then cross-country ski or snowshoe back down the Auto Road. 

A bladed snowcat is required to climb higher on the mountain which is why the SnowCoach tours do not attempt to summit Mount Washington.

SnowCats transport staff to and from the Mt Washington Observatory

A highlight of the trip was seeing these two snowcat vehicles that the Mount Washington Observatory uses to transport staff to and from the summit during the winter. The snowcat is similar to a groomer used at ski resorts. It has a plow on the front and large treads like a tank. It can carry up to a dozen people.

We had a wonderful experience for my birthday celebration

This trip was definitely a wonderful, but one-time, experience. Now, we have traveled on Mt Washington three ways — by auto (2019), cog railway (2017) and SnowCoach (2025). We have no future plans to hike, ski or snowshoe the mountain.

Every spring, the Mt. Washington Auto Road closes its winter SnowCoach operations and gets working on clearing the road of snow for summer travel. It's a long process. In the 1800s, it was done by hand with shovels and often wasn’t complete until July 4 weekend. Now, there's the advantage of heavy machinery to complete this project. It uses the snowcat and a specialty designed hot-water “drill” to clear culverts of ice.

About the Mt Washington Auto Road & Cog Railway

Our Auto Road trip

The Auto Road is America’s oldest man-made tourist attraction. It's a steep, narrow mountain road with no guardrails. There have been three fatalities since it opened. In 1880, a stagecoach driven by a drunk driver overturned, killing a passenger. In 1984, a vehicle lost its brakes and crashed about a mile up the road. In 2009, a motorcycle crashed. 

Construction of the road began in 1853 with a charter from the State of New Hampshire. The 7.6-mile Auto Road opened in August of 1861 as the Mt Washington Carriage Road and its first travelers went to the summit by a team of horses and a carriage specially-built by the Abbot-Downing Company of Concord. 

What surprises many is that the road is privately owned and maintained. The Auto Road and the Glen House Hotel first came into joint ownership in 1906 when Elihu Libby purchased the rights to the Auto Road. His descendants own and operate the Auto Road, Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center and the nearby Glen House Hotel. The family-owned company has been providing safe access to the summit of Mt Washington for over 115 years.

Over the years, travel on the auto road has advanced from horse-drawn vehicles to steam engines and internal combustion to hybrid and electric powered vehicles.  Over 50,000 cars drive it annually taking about 30 minutes to ascend the 7.6 mile road and from 30 to 45 minutes to come down depending on traffic, weather and if a stop is needed to cool the car brakes. 

We rode the Cog Railway in 2017

The Mount Washington Cog Railway, also known as the Cog, is the world's first mountain-climbing cog railway (rack-and-pinion railway). The railway climbs Mt Washington using a rack system and both steam and biodiesel-powered locomotives to carry tourists to the top of the mountain. It's been in continuous operation since 1869 with service interruptions only during the World Wars.

It is the second-steepest rack railway in the world, after the Pilatus Railway in Switzerland, with an average grade of over 25% and a maximum grade of 37%. The railway is approximately 3 miles  long and ascends Mount Washington's western slope, beginning at an elevation of approximately 2,700 feet above sea level and ending just short of the mountain's summit peak of 6,288 feet

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Postscript: Many of us learned this week of a fellow blogger's passing. John Haggar, the blogger of By Stargoose and Hanglands passed away last weekend from cancer. His cousin, Sue, posted the update on her blog, Granny Sue's News where you can find more information. John's blog, which included photos and information about walking tours with his brother, Les, were a delight to read. I have left the link to John's blog on my sidebar for anyone who wants to see some of his beautiful photos. My condolences to his family. John will be missed.

Friday Funnies

Whoops!

Last week, a construction crew was working along the bank of the Nashua River, where a river walk is being constructed. While the river is ice covered now, it's not frozen solid. This small piece of equipment got too close to the edge and started to slide into the water.

This project is being undertaken on the opposite side of the river near the Main Street bridge and will eventually be a walkway.

A large crane was also working in the area, a hook was put on the smaller equipment to help steady it.

It was eventually hauled back on the ground. Both the operator and the equipment seemed to be OK. These photos were taken from our 5th floor apt window and zoomed in.

No ice skating (or walking) is possible on the Nashua River now

There's always something happening and we certainly have a great view from the very large windows, a benefit of living in this repurposed mill structure.

Thanks, everyone, for the birthday 🎂 wishes. We had an adventuresome NH getaway to celebrate, details and photos will be posted next week. A(nother) snowfall is predicted here over the weekend.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

Always be very careful of thin ice

Birthdays, Mine & Others

Do you know who celebrates the same birthday as youself?

Birthday cards displayed on our bookcases

Since today is my 🎂 birthday, I did an online search to see who else was celebrating even if we won't be doing so together. As mentioned last week, we’re on a celebratory adventure. I already knew the names of a few of these famous co-celebrants. It was interesting to learn that many of those also celebrating today are (or were) active in the creative arts fields, like these folks:

• Nathan Lane, actor
• Blythe Danner, actor, singer, dancer
• Amal Clooney, lawyer & human rights activist
• Fran Tarkenton, football quarterback and announcer
• James Michener (1909-1997), author
• Morgan Fairchild, actress
• Maura Tierney, actress
• Bridget Regan, actress
• John Handy, musician
• Shelley Berman (1925-2017), comedian and actor
• Horace Greeley, newspaper editor & publisher
• Warwick Davis, actor & TV show host
• Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, 1st woman in U.S. to receive a medical degree
• Daddy Yankee (Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez), rapper and singer

So, it seems I am in some very well known birthday company.

Some February 3 birthday folks along with myself

Aside from birthday celebrations of myself and others, the date of February 3 is significant in several other ways — historic, sweet and very tragic.

On this day in 1870, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, which guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race and intending to ensure, with the 14th Amendment, the civil rights of former slaves.

For those who enjoy cake, In the U.S. today is National Carrot Cake Day, a sweet and delicious way to celebrate. That has me thinking that I should have a piece tonight.

Sadly, it's also known as The Day the Music Died in reference to the deaths of three young pop music stars: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, Jr. All died in a 1959 plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. Don McLean's 1971 hit song was in homage to their passing.

In astrology, Aquarius is the 11th sign of the zodiac, considered as governing the period from January 20 to February 18. I knew that there was Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In popularized by the American pop vocal group, the 5th Dimension was a song associated with the sign.

According to the "birthday paradox," in a random group of 23 people, there is about a 50% chance two people will share a birthday. Any more than that, and it gets increasingly likely that a pair of matching birthdays exist. It's considered a paradox as it goes against our intuitive understanding of probability

While that be true, I know that in my own family, I shared this birthday with my late cousin, Richard, was also born on Feb 3; his older brother will be celebrating on Feb 5.

Did you know that the other 11 signs of the zodiac (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn and Pisces) also have songs named for them? 

Here's some examples, most nearly all of these songs were unknown to me: 

• Aries: "Aries" by Gorillaz, "Aries (YuGo)" by EMike WiLL Made-It
• Taurus: "Dirty Taurus" by EAnt Beale, "Taurus" by EAby Coulibaly
• Gemini: "Gemini (2 Sides)" by E Wale, "Gemini Feed" by BANKS
• Virgo: "Virgo" by Atmosphere, "Virgo" by Victor Internet
• Libra: "Libra" by Pity Party (Girls Club)
• Scorpio: "Scorpio Rising" by Soccer Mommy
• Sagittarius: "Sagittarius" by 88GLAM, "Sagittarius" by Trevor Hall
• Capricorn: "Capricorn Dancer" by Richard Clapton, "Capricorn" by Elderbrook
• Aquarius: "Aquarius" by Tinashe
• Pisces: "Pisces" by RIZ LA VIE, "Pisces Dream" by Shamefac

An interesting statistic is that my birth month, February, comes in last place when birth months of the year are ranked. According to online data sources, birth months from most common to least common are: August, July, September, October, May, December, March, June, January, November and April. Where do you rank?

Did You Know?

More people are born in summer (May to August) than in winter (October to January). And, the most common birthday is September 9 (also my late mother's birthday). This is based on data collected for over 20 years by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics and the Social Security Administration. 

On average, over 12,000 babies are born on September 9 annually. Nine of the top 10 most popular birthdays fall between September 9 and September 20. 

Famous September 9 Celebrants

If you were born on the most popular day of the year, here's some of the famous folks who also share the same birthday:

• Adam Sandler
• Hugh Grant
• Michelle Williams
• Otis Redding (1941-1967)
• Colonel Harland Saunders (1890-1980)
• Angela Cartwright
• Michael Bublé
• Cesare Pavese
• Tom Wopat
• Eric Stonestreet
• Zoe Kazan
• William Miller
• Kelsey Asbille
• Henry Thomas
• Constance Marie

Some folks who celebrate on Sept 9, including my late mother

What's the Rarest Birthday?

Out of the 365 annual calendar days, that would be December 25, Christmas Day. These folks, among others, celebrate both a birthday and holiday:

• Jeremy Strong
• Justin Trudeau
• Issac Newton (1643-1727)
• Anwar el-Sadat (1918-1981)
• Jimmy Buffett (1946-2023) 
• Clara Barton (1821-1912)
• Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957)
• Annie Lennox
• Rod Serling (1924-1975)
• Eartha Kitt (1927-2008)
• Sissy Spacek
• Barbara Mandrell

Happy Birthday & Merry Christmas to these folks

While a Christmas Day might be unusual, the least common birthday occurs on leap year, February 29. That's because as this date only happens every four years, it yields the fewer number of birthdays. The odds of being born on Leap Day are 1 in 1,461 and that's compared to 1 in 365 for any other day of the year. If your birthday is on this date, it's a very special one.

And, now you know the rest of my birthday story (for now).

Thanks, in advance, for the birthday wishes; taking a blog break for a few days.

Local Fame, No $

In a previous post, I stated that a recent photo I'd taken that showed two swans in the Nashua River (before the snow and ice) had been used in an online Nashua publication, the Great American Downtown.

This weekly online publication invites readers to email photos taken around the city of Nashua However, there's a scarcity of those who submit images although some local photographers regularly send in amazing drone images. Alas, I don't own (or plan to acquire a drone).

But no need for a drone, as last week another of my photos was used. This one shows a partial reflection of Clocktower Place apartments in a former mill building across the parking lot. Called the Green Milll it's been used as a warehouse, hotel furniture store, wine and paint event site.The second floor is currently in use as a dance school. Since this is an old building, most likely the window glass is original and caused the wavy reflection on this straight out of camera (SOOC) image. This was a chance shot as we usually park in the underground parking, but had parked outside as we were going out again. (My last name was purposely omitted for this post.)

There's no cash payment for photos used, just braggin' rights, that's OK with me.

Many thanks for your comments on my previous post about the Wilbur Chocolate Company and Wilbur Buds. It would be great if you could grab a sample taste from the post because they are really good. Sadly, that's not possible, but they can be ordered online.

Speaking of sweet things, on our way home from our recent PA road trip, we stopped in NJ to meet our new great niece. Willow was born the week before Christmas 2024. She's pictured with us and her parents, Michael and Julie, our niece.

While In PA, we also visited my high school friend, Sara, and husband, David, also former NJ residents. As their Christmas tree was still up, we followed our long-time tradition of taking group and individual photos. Many have been taken during the holiday season or afterwards.

We're always happy to see good friends and spend time together. It was great catching up on all the time in between our visits. I hope you also have some in your lives.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

Next week is my birthday; we're going on a unique adventure, 

Details in a future post

How Sweet It Was

Maybe, it's because we currently live in a former textile factory or that we always seek out older, especially re-purposed buildings. Either way, our recent trip to PA combined both of these interests.

Day and night views of The Wilbur Hotel, Lititz, PA

That's because our accommodations were in a former chocolate factory, After the Wilbur Chocolate Company closed is was redeveloped and this hotel opened in 2016.. What's not to like about that? The ever-so-faint scent of chocolate could still be detected or maybe that was our imagination.

This wasn't our first PA visit, but our first stay in Lititiz was a family visit. Youngest granddaughter and family live in nearby Lancaster, PA. Her December birthday was celebrated belatedly with an indoor pool party at a nearby recreation center.

Lobby views of The Wilbur Hotel, Lititz, PA

Hotel lounge views of The Wilbur Hotel, Lititz, PA

Of course, it doesn't look anything like the former factory, but still preserves some of the original construction with the large wooden beams. Look closely at the bottom right photo for a larger reveal in the next photo.

The Wilburettes were company employees who performed at holiday parties

If you look in the center of the above bottom right photo, you can barely see this photo of "The Wilburettes" the Wilbur Chocolate Company employee version of the NYC Rockettes  In the 1940’s, the company held employee Christmas parties, quite often the party ended with some dance numbers by these ladies. 

Former Wilbur Chocolate Company on Broad St, Lititz, PA (Internet source)

Current view of Wilbur Chocolate Company (January 2025)

The Wilbur Chocolate Company was a mainstay on N. Broad St in Lititz, PA, for over 120 years. In January 2016, its celebrated 125-year old chocolate-making tradition in Lititz ended when chocolate production ended at the historic landmark. It's now The Wilbur Hotel, a 74-room boutique hotel, part of Hilton hotels. 

This photo, circa 1927, shows employees posed for a group shot outside the PA chocolate company. Apparently, everyone dressed up for this photo shoot.

How it All Began 

Back to the origins of the chocolate factory, which incidentally has a NJ connection (doesn't everything?) As natives of the state, it's interesting, sometimes not so much, to see how often our home state is involved mentioned in seeming everything.

Henry Wilbur

Way back in 1865, Henry Oscar Wilbur had a successful hardware business in Vineland, NJ. But, after meeting Samuel Croft, a candy maker, he switched businesses. The two men formed a partnership to produce hard and molasses candies for almost 20 years at a Philadelphia, PA, location. At that time, confectionery manufacturing equipment consisted of a kettle, a coal or coke fire, buckets and a marble slab. These hard candies were marketed to railroad companies to be sold onboard trains.

The partnership split up in 1884, Croft stayed in the hard candy business with a new partner. Wilbur went into the chocolate candy business forming H. O. Wilbur & Sons, with sons, Harry and William; oldest son, Bertram, later became a partner after Harry's death.

A 1911 newspaper ad featuring Wilbur Buds

The Wilbur Bud

What became the company's signature chocolate, the Wilbur Bud, debuted in 1894, and the exact date of a trademark is uncertain. But, the original machine used to make the candy was invented and patented by John Smith in 1889. The chocolate may look like another piece of well-known chocolate candy, but it was created first, 13 years earlier. More about that other candy later.

The machinery that made the Wilbur Bud chocolates

The chocolate's  creation was just good business. created by the company founder, Henry Wilbur. His mantra was that exceptional chocolate shouldn't be complicated, but he wanted it to be unique to sell more chocolate. Wilbur developed a process to deposit chocolate into a solid shape that looked like a flower bud. His creation was the Wilbur Bud, which is molded with a distinctive design and a flower shaped bottom. Each petal has a letter of the company name, WILBUR. Years ago, candies were wrapped, today the candies are unwrapped and sold in various packaging. 

Check out the price in this undated newspaper ad for Wilbur Buds

By 1905, the third generation of Wilbur family employees included Lawrence H. Wilbur, a European-trained chocolatier who invented a machine to foil wrap Wilbur Buds which were then packaged in boxes. Transport from factory to store shelves was slower years ago and protecting chocolate’s freshness was a concern. An exact date when this practice ended isn't known. It's speculated that the change occurred after the mid-20th century. By then, packaging technology had improved. The need for extra care lessened as new methods were adopted.

Ideal Chocolate Factory in Lititz, PA, was next to a Reading RR line

Although Wilbur Chocolate was still in Philadelphia, PA, another chocolate company was in Lititz, PA, Kendig Chocolate Company had started in 1900 and in 1902 was sold to The Ideal Chocolate Company which built a new plant at 48 North Broad St. adjacent to the Reading and Columbia rail station which made easy access to ingredients by rail. The company sold almond bars, chocolate cigars, and cocoa powder. In 1913, increased demand led to a five-story plant addition. In a 1927, Ideal merger with the Brewster Chocolate Company of Newark, NJ (another NJ connect) the company became the Brewster-Ideal Chocolate Company.

Red Book Magazine advertisement  for Wilbur Buds (year unknown)

Wilbur Chocolate Relocates, Eventually

Meanwhile,  H. O. Wilbur & Sons began business talks with a Swiss company, Chocolat Suchard, to secure rights to sell its chocolate. By 1928, the rights were purchased and the company name was Wilbur-Suchard Chocolate Company. 

Now comes the move to Lititz, after several mergers and acquisitions in the late 1920s, Wilbur-Suchard Chocolate bought out the Newark, NJ, Brewster-Ideal Chocolate factory and began operating three factories in Lititz, Philadelphia and Newark. Over time, the company shut down both the Philadelphia and Newark facilities and consolidated operations in the Lititz factory as that one was next to a railroad freight station. By year-end 1958, the company was solely the Wilbur Chocolate Company and it staying at the Broad St location there for nearly 60 years..

Besides the ever-popular Wilbur Bud, the company produced a variety of chocolate products and cocoa. In the early 1970s, a factory store was only open to employees for candy buys. Lititz is a small town, son word got out. Non-employees, mostly town residents, requested the store be opened to the public. And, it did in 1972 and, you know what, visitors came — to no one's surprise chocolate sales increased. 

These items were in the former Candy Americana Museum

Its value as a tourist destination increased even more after Penny Buzzard, wife of a former company president, spearheaded a move to add a Candy Americana Museum within the store Later, a candy-making kitchen was added so that tourists visitors could watch chocolatiers hand-make small batches of customer favorites. 

Chocolate Meltdown or Mergers and Aquisitions

In 1968, Wilbur Chocolate became a wholly-owned subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes Company and was sold four more times in 12 years. In 1992, it became part of the Minnesota-based Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate family. In 2016, the aging Broad St facility was shut down. and the bulk of chocolate production that had been done in Lititz was shifted to Cargill’s other PA-based facilities. Today, Wilbur Chocolate is one of four premium chocolate brands produced and sold by Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, others are Peter’s Chocolate, Veliche Belgian Chocolate, and Gerkens Cocoa Powder. 

The Wilbur Chocolate Store is located across the street from the former factory

The factory closed and so did the candy museum, but within a couple of years, the Wilbur Chocolate Store opened across the street from the former factory. Cargill, Inc. spent an estimated $250K dollars on the renovation of a former family-owned hardware store. Pieces from the museum are now in the store. A candy kitchen is also featured in the new space. 

Wilbur Buds are sold in two varieties: semi-sweet (dark) and milk chocolate

There's free samples of Wilbur Buds which have remained the most popular of all Wilbur chocolates. (Yes, we had some.) They're still produced according to Wilbur’s original recipe and still only in semisweet and milk chocolate. When the factory closed, the museum did too, so the store now includes a display of Wilbur artifacts that provide an insight into the company's history including the original Wilbur Bud machine.

Street view of the redeveloped Wilbur Chocolate Factory, Lititz. PA

The closed factory has been redeveloped not only to include The Wilbur Hotel, but also condos, a restaurant, hotel, luxury apartments, senior living and specialty market shops. 

A Kiss is Still a Kiss 

But, not as in the As Time Goes By song in the 1942 film, Casablanca. In the early 19th century, the term kiss was a generic term commonly used to describe a variety of bite-size confectionery products like chocolate, cinnamon and molasses candies. Irish poet and novelist Oscar Wilde is quoted as saying "imitation is the most sincere form of flattery," but is it true for business as well? 

In 1907, Milton Hershey copied the Wilbur Bud, packaged it as the Hershey Kiss, a bite-sized piece of milk chocolate, and trademarked the name. Each candy was hand-wrapped until 1921 when new equipment automated foil wrapping. It also allowed adding the “Hershey plume” a paper strip that extends from the top of every chocolate. In early 1922, the Hershey Company took out full page ads reading: Insist upon having the “GENUINE” Sweet Milk Chocolate Hershey’s KISSES. Be Sure They Contain the Identification Tag ‘HERSHEY’S. In 1923,  Hershey trademarked the Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses name. The plume was trademarked in 1924, which prevents any other conical foil-wrapped chocolate to use the same packaging.

Compared to the Wilbur Bud, a Hershey Kiss is a cone with a flat, plain bottom. But as its design was less fancy, the candy could be made mass-produced by dropping it on a flat belt instead of using a special mold like the Wilbur Bud which was hand created. Also, unlike the Hershey Kiss, the Wilbur Bud was sold in milk and dark chocolate and this remains the same, unlike its competitor which is now available in various flavors. In 1909, Henry Wilbur failed in an attempt to sue the copy cat candy company. However, I was unable to find out exactly why he was not successful.

The two products were often compared due to their proximity. Lititz is about 20 miles from Hershey Company headquarters in Hershey, PA. Wilbur remained a regional brand for years, today it can be purchased online and at select retail locations, unlike Hershey which became a global brand. 

This has nothing to do with chocolate, but Milton Hershey was a confirmed passenger on the Titanic's ill-fated 1912 voyage. After vacationing in France in the winter of 191, Hershey had booked passage on the Titanic, but work-related matters may have caused him to cancel the sailing. Instead, he rebooked passage on the SS Amerika (later USS America) and left 4 days before Titanic sailed. 

The Wilbur Hotel gives guests a sample chocolate package

As chocoholics who have savored various types of chocolates, our preference is for the Wilbur Bud.

This was the view from our living room window early this morning. An overnight snowfall has nearly filled in the Nashua River. (I never tire of this scene.)