Sonora, CA – In the heart of Northern California's Yosemite Gold Country, inside Columbia State Park where business is conducted almost exactly the way it was in the gold rush era, fifth-generation Columbia Candy Kitchen is waiting for Labor Day. It's the deadline for pulling winners of this year's groups and families who will win a candy cane workshop from among thousands of postcard entries.
The Columbia Candy Kitchen has been the home of handmade confections in Columbia, California since the late 1800's, when a Danish confectioner settled in this gold rush town. A fellow minor, C. Rex Nelson, became the confectioner in the 1930's. After four generations, the Nelson family still produces the finest candies from original recipes, cooked in bright copper kettles, using original molds and cooled on marble tables that are more than 100 years old.
Candy canes are still made the old-fashioned way at Nelson's Candy Kitchen in Columbia. Visitors can watch through windows of the exhibition kitchen every Saturday and Sunday at noon and 1 p.m. from the end of November through the weekend before Christmas. And some lucky visitors will receive an invitation to be part of the scene with their postcard drawn to make their very own delicious peppermint wonders.
USA Today included Nelson's Columbia Candy Kitchen in their “top 10 sweet shops across America article”, calling the business “the type of place I go way out of my way to visit.”
Now there are three locations; the original kitchen in Columbia State Park, an additional location in Sonora, and one in nearby Murphys. The flagship store produces 85% of all of their confections sold.
Candy Cane Making from the 1800's in Northern California's Yosemite Gold Country
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It's not too late for visitors to win an experience like a Norman Rockwell painting. To enter to win a candy cane making class, send a postcard before September 5 to: Candy Cane Class, Columbia Candy Kitchen, Main Street, Post Office Box 191, Columbia, California 95310.
Or, just plan a visit to Yosemite Gold Country for a weekend of Christmasland festivities, a stay at either the City Hotel or Fallon Hotel inside Columbia State Park, and a window view of old-fashioned edible art at Columbia Candy Kitchen, open weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For visitor information, go to www.yosemitegoldcountry.com or call the Visitors Center for reservations and recommendations at 800-446-1333.
Tuolumne(rhymeswith“follow me”) County, home to Yosemite Gold Country, located 133miles east of San Francisco, is a pristine, scenic expanse reaching into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Gold was discovered in Tuolumne County in 1848, setting off the major gold rush of 1949. The main highways leading to the picturesque drive from the San Francisco and East Bay Area are Highways 108 and 120 from the west and Highway 49 from the north. The State Highway 120 entrance to Yosemite National Park is considered the “front door” of the park for the San Francisco Greater Bay Area. The Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite National Park, and other surrounding areas provide natural vistas and settings for hiking, water skiing, horseback riding, rafting, camping, snowmobiling, boating, snow skiing, fishing and other outdoor activities. Seven restored historic hotels, four golf courses, numerous and varied dining establishments, historic saloons, five wineries and hard cider distillery, train rides, casino, seven museums, two state historic parks, five live theaters and many bed-and-breakfast inns are among the many other attributes that make the county a year round vacation destination. www.YosemiteGoldCountry.com
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Contact:
Susan Wilson, Publicist, Susan Wilson Marketing Susanwilson129@gmail.com, 480-824-3015
Lisa Mayo, Executive Director, Yosemite Gold Country lisa@gotuolumne.com
Toll Free 800-446-1333, Direct 209-533-4420 www.YosemiteGoldCountry.com
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