LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - FEBRUARY 7, 2021 by Lynne Belluscio Well you would think that I would know the official dates of National Jell-O week but I have to confess I didn’t pay much attention this year. I thought it was February 7 through the 14. The whole idea of a National Jell-O Week started in Utah in 2001. The students of Brigham Young University petitioned the state legislature to make Jell-O the state snack food. After all, Utah has the highest per capita consumption of America’s Most Famous Dessert. The Utah State Legislature agreed with the students and passed a resolution. That was twenty years ago. Coincidentally, the following year, in February 2002, Salt Lake City hosted the Olympics and it fell during --- you guessed it --- Jell-O Week. I can remember at the time thinking “So Utah decides when it is National Jell-O Week? Why isn’t it the Jell-O Company’s job?” It turns out, that Jell-O really didn’t pay much attention to Jell-O Week. In fact, for several years, they would have people call us when they wanted information about Jell-O Week. This year, since everyone is existing under strange isolation and quarantine rules, I thought maybe it would be a good time for LeRoy to jump on the bandwagon and celebrate National Jell-O Week. So, I contacted Sam Vagg at the Village Green at the nursing home, and said – “Hey, let me help you guys have a little bright spot. Let’s get your employees into Jell-O T-shirts. Serve a different flavor of Jell-O each day. I’ll send over some Jell-O activities. And since our Jell-O Queen, Ruth Harvie is staying with you for a while, I’ll get out her old Jell-O crown that she wore in the LeRoyan of the Year parade. So, plans went ahead. Then the fourth grade teachers at Wolcott Street School caught wind of the idea, and they joined in, and we taped a virtual tour of the Jell-O Gallery for the kids and put together a little history book about Pearle Wait’s dessert. About that time, Sam Vagg contacted me to confirm the official Jell-O Week, and I discovered we had made plans a week early. Apparently, in the fine print somewhere in Utah it says that Jell-O Week is the first full week in February. Hmm our plans in LeRoy were a week early - - - but it turns out, that was a good idea, because school is not in session during the Bringham Young declared week. So, I guess we are having the advent Jell-O celebration in LeRoy. The Mardi Gras of Jell-O Week. Taking it one step further, the school and the Village Green are going to help create the largest Jell-O Jiggler’s quilt - - out of paper. Everyone will receive a pattern for a 6 inch square Jigglers square. They can color it and then we’ll assemble all the squares. If any of you want to help out, I’ve included the pattern on the back cover of this week's Pennysaver . Just color the pieces, sign your name and drop it off in the milk box on the front porch of LeRoy House. I’ll put them all together and see if I can put them in a window on Main Street. If the weather breaks, I’m hoping that the guys at the Town Highway Department on Asbury Road will be able to put up the 8 x 8 Jell-O Jigglers barn quilt that I painted last year. In the meantime, get out your favorite Jell-O recipe and lets all eat Jell-O. Post your favorite recipe on LeRoy Then and Now, and vote for your favorite flavor. I’m voting for raspberry this year. National Jell-O Week