Posted on Mon, Apr. 06, 2009

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Oh Henry candy bar born in Ark City

The Wichita Eagle

This is one in a series ofvignettes celebrating Kansas history. The series' name comes from the state motto, Ad astra per aspera: "To the stars through difficulties."

BY BECCY TANNER

It still is a winning combination -- a candy bar with peanuts, caramel and fudge.

Invented in 1919 by Tom Henry of Arkansas City, the Oh Henry candy bar has become iconic in American and Canadian culture.

It's been referred to on national television sitcoms and in baseball lore.

In Canada, it's sometimes touted as the heaviest chocolate bar on sale, at 62.5 grams.

The legacy dates back to when Henry originally sold his candy bar as the Tom Henry Bar in his Arkansas City business, the Peerless Candy Factory.

In 1920, Henry sold his company, along with the recipe for the candy bar. Shortly after, its name was changed to Oh Henry.

Although the recipe has been bought and resold several times by candy companies through the years, the candy bar itself remains basically the same as in 1919.

The recipe was acquired by Nestle Foods in 1984.

In recent decades, the Oh Henry bar has experienced revived popularity at times:

• When baseball outfielder Henry Rodriguez played for the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Florida Marlins and others from 1992 to 2002, he would be showered with Oh Henry bars.

• The TV hit series "Seinfeld" had a character who was an heiress to the Oh Henry candy fortune.

The Henry family continued the traditions started by Tom Henry decades ago.

Tom Henry's son, Pat, moved to Dexter and began producing candy in the 1950s.

Visitors to the southeastern Cowley County business can often watch as candy is made the old-fashioned way.

Reach Beccy Tanner at 316-268-6336 or btanner@wichitaeagle.com.

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