Friends and Followers:
Harken ye workers, ye forgers of thine own chains– you there, in wretched conduct of toilsome tasks, stoking the leaping flames of a steamer’s engined underbelly why thyself are known only by the here-and-there flicker of a hanging oil lamp and the rhapsody of hellfire that writhes with eternal continuum. Ye ironworkers, half-naked and bodies blackened with soot, standing aside dragonblood estuaries of molten metal that ooze and pour with volcanic vitriol. Ye weary denizens of Pittsburgh town, in want of bread and sleep, laboring without end to produce steel skeletons, bearing witness to the grisaille skies of yin town that chokes out the cleansing rays of sunlight with the ascent of smoke scarves from ducts and chimney pipes. Womenfolk, ye tired-eyed mothers to whom a noble heritage of intelligence and beauty hath been endowed, ye work in cramped and airless rooms thronged around sewing machine contraptions endlessly pressing calloused fingers to affix the fabrics of piecework into completeness, a’though the hours of your drudgery stretch like bread dough and ye kin not the difference between daylight and shadow. Ye railwaymen belting songs of cliffsides and clover, laying track for the railway alongside counterparts who dream of far-gone provinces. Ye Pullman car servants operating aboard speeding vessels traversing the plainlands, ye should unite! Gather one and all, a rainbow of peoples, under a common banner of working humanity. And know, that this September, a holiday has been declared in thine honor to commemorate the hours, days, and years of thine blood and browsweat that have made this great Nation of peoples what it is today!
And now, dear reader, we move on to the news and milestones of The Franklin Fountain and Shane Confectionery, and we’ve news as sweet and flowing as honey. As a matter of fact, that is exactly what we speak of, the honey of our own buzzing worker bees who dwell atop the Shane Confectionery rooftop. We use their honey to make our HONEYCOMB ICE CREAM! And what’s more, on this evening of September 7th, at the Happy Honey Hour at the Wagner Free Institute in North Philadelphia, you can try some of our lip-smacking Honeycomb Ice Cream without cost. Yes, that’s as true as an angel’s trumpet, It’s free of any charge whatsoever!
At this Autumn’s rufescent dawn we will be issuing a variety of flavors to our menuboard beloved and new. These include Concord Grape Ice Cream (returning once more), Apple Cider Sorbet (a true autumnal wonder), and new Coconut Cream based flavors, for those who cannot partake of dairy due to dietary restriction or moral obligation.
Hath thine eyes seen us on the cathode tube rays on such televised programs such as the Food Channel’s “Unwrapped”, featuring the elegant host of Marc Summers? Perhaps you’ve seen the man with an antique hammer in his hands, striking one of our season-specific Clear Toy Candies? Well, if you desire to have your Shane Confectionery candies shipped directly to your door this holiday season, you may write us. We are currently piecing together the most beautiful Shane Confectionery Catalogue that will array our homemade candies and confections for your own perusal and selection. We are working on it tirelessly, and we hope you appreciate our forthcoming endeavors.
This month, we will begin to add warm desserts as menu options, such goodies as oven-warm Apple Turnovers, which we suggest with our dreamy Vanilla Ice Cream, a drizzled signature of authentic caramel glaze and a dollop of whip cream. Additionally, we will have homemade fresh cookies baked e’ery morn’, beautifully bagged so that you may take them away at your convenience and leisure. These you may taste and avail at both store locations. These cookies can only be improved… with ice cream. We’ll be making ICE CREAM Frankwiches (sandwiches of classical and seasonal combination of cookie crust and ice cream, in a variety of flavors.) Please see one of our smiling soda jerks at The Franklin Fountain whence ordering. These are indeed crafted for the young couple on the go for a First Friday gallery stroll, especially those who must pass up dinner to engage their eyes and imaginations with local artworks.
A kindly reminder– we cater your special events with candy and ice cream! We are now taking corporate candy holiday orders and wholesale inquiries for ice creams and concession candies for an evening of theater, boutiques, and other trades. Your theatergoing clientele would love nothing more than to nibble on one of our favored treats while watching stagecraft of the silvery shine of the cinema lantern.
On Labor Day the Berley Brothers participated in the creation of a 3,175-square-foot mural designed by Social Impact Studios and Eric Okdeh to be mounted on the Archworks building near Eighth and Arch Streets. The mural is based on the proverb “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” This city-wide mural project that has engaged stakeholders from the public and private sectors, workers, business leaders, and providers of workforce development services in a series of conversations about the value and meaning of work and the challenges this issue presents today.
Photo courtesy of Emily Frances
Temple Contemporary will be hosting Candy Class, featuring the Berley Brothers and their vast collection of confectionery tools, curiosities, and candies. Ryan and Eric will begin with an illustrated lecture on the historic and industrial arts of Philadelphia’s confectionery past. After that it’s straight to the sugar, pulling taffy, learning about lozenges, and casting candy from antique metal molds. Each participant will be going home with a piece of clear toy candy. For more information please visit: http://berleycandyclass.eventbrite.com/
On a midsummer’s night, the Berley Brothers along with 1,300 other participants traveled to Logan’s Circle dressed all in white. Based on a Parisian party, this was Diner en Blanc’s first outing in Philadelphia. The Berley’s banquet featured ice cream in the shape of rabbits made in antique ice cream molds, amongst other delicacies.
Well, that is about all this go-around. We wish you hardy laughter and merriment, and we wish upon you steady persistence upon thine own labors, whether they been the craft of industry or artistry.
The Berley Brothers and Staff