LUCAS CANDIES PAYS HOMAGE TO ITS HOMETOWN’S RICH HISTORY WITH THE NEW HAVERSTRAW BAR

-- New Candy Bar To Be Unveiled at The Haverstraw Street Fair, September 22nd--

Haverstraw, NY, September 6, 2013 – Chocolate lovers, get ready to swoon over the new Haverstraw Bar!

Lucas Candies, the iconic 118 year-old chocolate and candy maker from Haverstraw, NY, is paying homage to its hometown, by naming their latest candy bar creation after the town. The new Haverstraw Bar, made with milk chocolate, toasted coconut, and toffee chips, will be unveiled at the Haverstraw Street Fair, located on Main Street in downtown Haverstraw, Sunday, September 22nd.  Lucas Candies will offer a “buy one, get one free” promotion on the new bar beginning, Saturday, September 28th, when the store officially opens for the season.  The “buy one, get one free” promotion will continue for one week.

The new Haverstraw Bar’s tagline, “The Town That Built a City One Brick at a Time,” is a tribute to the Town of Haverstraw’s rich history in brickmaking. Commonly known as the “Brickmaking Capital of the World,” between 1771 and 1941, Haverstraw was the center of brick production in the world, largely due to the immense clay beds formed by the Hudson River’s water and rich soil that lined its waterfront. In 1771, Jacob Van Dyke began the industry by making bricks by hand, which were used for fireplaces and chimneys. In 1852, the invention of the automatic brick machine by Richard Van Valen was the catalyst for the brick industry explosion. By 1883, there were 42 brickyards in the area, which manufactured 148 brands of brick. In a single year over 300 million bricks were shipped out of Haverstraw Bay for the New York City area. At one time over two thirds of the buildings in New York City were constructed of Haverstraw brick.

With a rich history of its own, visitors to the Haverstraw Street Fair, flock to the Lucas Candies booth, located in front of their classic candy store, for their warm chocolate ambrosia, commonly called, “Heaven in a Cup.”  This Lucas Family tradition is only available once a year at the Haverstraw Street Fair.  In addition to the ambrosia and the new Haverstraw Bar, Lucas Candies will also offer unique items such as Strawberry on a Stick, a fresh strawberry dipped in warm milk chocolate, and the Lucas S’More, a marshmallow dipped in warm chocolate and rolled on a bed of crushed graham crackers.

 “We are so excited to honor our hometown of Haverstraw, NY, with the new Haverstraw Bar,” said Nick Loucas, Owner and Operator of Lucas Candies. “We wanted to pay homage to a town that has been so good to us for so many generations. Haverstraw is a town with a rich tradition and we hope that the new Haverstraw Bar will serve to honor that tradition. We couldn't be more proud to unveil The Haverstraw Bar at The Haverstraw Street Fair, and share it with the community.”

For more information about Lucas Candies, please visit http://www.lucascandies.com.

ABOUT LUCAS CANDIES

The Lucas family has been making chocolates since 1896 after five Lucas brothers emigrated to the U.S. from Greece and settled on the Hudson River inHaverstraw, NY.  Today the store is operated by the fourth generation of the Lucas family, with the day to day management overseen by chocolatier, Nick Loucas, the great great Nephew of Constantine.  Lucas Candies uses the same recipe that came with the family from Greece in 1896, and the store still remains in its original location.  Nick Loucas has successfully continued the Lucas legacy.