The Candy Desk For Freaky Friday...!

I know you are wondering what in the world is the "Candy Desk" and how is it freaky? Good question!

The story behind the "Candy Desk" is a tradition that has been around since the 1960s. It was started by a Senator named George Murphy and, as far as I know, is still around today. The freaky part comes from the fact that some of the Senators probably pay more attention to the "Candy Desk" than they do on the work they are being paid to do by the American people. Welcome to the world of politics!

The Senate Candy Desk

It’s a little-known fact that hidden toward the back of the Senate is a desk that is filled to the brim with candy. Since the 1960s, this desk has been manned by a string of senators who are tasked with keeping it stocked with candy from their home state so that their fellow senators always have something to snack on if they get hungry. Which is apparently a lot because the desk supposedly costs hundreds of dollars to maintain over a given year.

This curious custom was supposedly started back in the 1960s by Senator George Murphy who was known to always keep a healthy supply of candy in his desk during his time as a senator. After Murphy was moved toward the back of the Senate near one of its entrances, he began offering this candy to other senators as they entered. After a while, senators simply began referring to Murphy’s desk as “the candy desk.”

When Murphy left his position in 1971, the candy desk stayed and it has been standard practice ever since for this desk to always be filled with candy, just in case. The tradition is so popular that when Senator Craig Thomas was charged with manning the desk in 2007, his fellow senators complained that his home state of Wyoming had no well-known confectionawakery manufacturers and, as such, he would be unable to keep the desk sufficiently stocked.

However, Thomas did manage to keep the desk stocked when some smaller independent chocolate makers stepped up and offered their services. But, just for a second, can we all appreciate that in 2007, for a brief but glorious moment, the most pressing issue the Senate discussed was where all their candy was going to come from?

What can you possibly say after reading about this? Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of having a little sweet snack around. I really want to know if the Senators pay for this candy from their own pockets, or do they use our tax money to keep the desk stocked up? Just curious, ya know?

One more day of coffee out on the patio before the predicted bad weather comes in. Lemon pie anyone?