Showering confectionery upon the heads of the populace is an integral part of every parade in downtown Elizabethtown. Be it Memorial Day, Veterans Day, or Christmas, hard candy is thrown from the floats to the crowds lining the streets. It is just one of the benefits of having a hard candy factory in town.

The Simon Candy Company started production in 1949 in the basement of an old church located in the first block of North Spruce Street in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Just a year later, Charles and Margaret Simon were able to build a small factory at the same location. Initially the Simons produced chocolate novelties - Easter bunnies, Santas and the like. But soon the seasonal restrictions of these products forced the Simons to concentrate on a more perennial confection. The Simons purchased equipment to begin production of hard candies.

The first flavours were cherry, menthol and horehound - a home remedy cough drop with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The equipment was able to wrap about 180 pieces of hard candy a minute. About a dozen people were working at the plant at the start of the 1970s. In 1974, a combination of factors caused the Simons to sell the company to JoEl Inc, a corporation in nearby Lebanon, Pennsylvania. At the time of the sale, the Simon's turnover topped half a million dollars.

JoEl Inc was owned by John and Eleanor Hess. They were responsible for turning the company into the multi-million dollar concern it has become. In 1982, the company diversified into throat lozenges and cough drops, resulting in a new division named 'Pharmaloz'. The Pharmaloz factory in nearby Lebanon opened in 1985. In 1988, the Mr and Mrs Hess retired and gave the company to their children.

Today's wrapping machines are capable of handling 1,200 lozenges per minute. Simon's 70 employees produce more than 2 million pieces of hard candy every day, working from the complex which includes a manufacturing plant and outlet store.

And while the candy company is no longer owned by people living in town, it still holds a special place in the hearts of Elizabethtown residents.

Especially during a parade.