I love the Christmas season, it is the most fun time of the year for me, and when I heard there was an old candy store that makes candy canes and has nightly demonstrations, I couldn’t get there fast enough. Logan’s Candy in Ontario is a fantastic place to get in the Christmas spirit, and here are all the details so you can check it out for yourself. There is a video at the end of this post that shows the process as well if you do not live close by.
Details
- Free
- Get a warm candy came sample after
- Hours: M-F 10 AM – 6 PM, Sat 10 AM-5:30 PM
- Closed Sundays
- Find the days they have demos at this site
History
Jerry, the candy maker, has been making candies for over 39 years, but the store itself has been open since 1933. They are still using the same recipe for the candy canes that they had in the beginning. I believe they said the candy cane production is about 80,000 in a Christmas season; all of the candy canes are hand made like they are in the demonstration.
First off, if you are going to one of the demonstrations, get their early! It fills up fast as it is just a small store, and you simply crowd the window to watch the demo. It was full around the glass about 30 minutes before the demonstration I went to, luckily I am tall so it is pretty easy to see over people and I just hovered at the back. They had a TV that showed what they were doing mounted above the crowd the last time I was there, which made it a lot easier to see.
I also recommend paying for a ticket to get a warm candy cane before the demonstration, so you don’t have to wait in the big line. They are around $3 (as of 2017), which is a total steal!
Before I jump into the demonstration, I also want to note that they have the world’s largest candy cane, which is 30 pounds, I believe, and was made 16 years ago.
Candy Cane Making Demonstration
It was pretty impressive to see how this process works; it is about 45 minutes, and the candy cane goes from a yellow blob of corn syrup to a beautiful red and white treat.
Here is the beginning when he is starting to massage and cool down the syrup.
You can see by the crowd how many people are there, luckily this part of the demo is also shown on a small TV, but the part after is not. From there, the pieces get cut, and red food dye is added to the smaller section.
Next, the leftover larger piece gets a small amount of peppermint flavor (500 dollars for a gallon), and then it is pulled on a large hook until it becomes white, which was not what I expected.
After that, the two colors are arranged with the one big red strip and the five small ones, and it starts to be pulled. This process takes the big piece and transforms it into a small roll that is cut, rolled, and shaped, forming the candy cane.
After this, the process of cut, roll, shape just continues, and you can get in line to get a small, warm candy cane you can shape fast before it hardens. This is fun for the kids and adults alike.
Lastly, Jerry went over the Christian history of the candy cane, which was super interesting, and you can read about it in the paper they give out after the demo.
Here is a video from the experience.
All in all, this is an excellent Christmas experience for the whole family. Be sure to check it out if you are the area and make sure to get a warm candy cane at the end; you will never want to eat a regular one again!
