Jell-o Museum

One of the items on my Things To-Do Before Turning 40 list included visiting the Jell-o Museum in LeRoy, NY. (If you have to ask why, you obviously don’t know me!)

This past Wednesday, the day finally arrived.  My friend Deedee and her friend Sally along with my friend Aimèe headed off on a road trip!

Welcome to LeRoy! Birthplace of Jell-o! (And which we later learned also the birthplace of graino and stringless beans-o...) Look Ma! I’m with my own kind! This would be everyone checking in with social media as soon as we arrived. I did not receive a Delicious Museum Badge for checking in on Foursquare.

 

Here we are waiting for the former mayor of LeRoy, NY to give us the introduction to Jell-o History 101 lecture. Who knew there were so many things to learn about America’s Most Famous Dessert and the Dainty Dessert?

For example, the owner of Jell-o went around from small town to small town passing out free samples and cookbooks and then went to the grocer and told them to stock up because people would be asking for Jell-o. Guess what? It worked! Thank goodness it did otherwise his family would have had him institutionalized, they thought he was going mad! Oh those silly early 1900’s…

After the quaint informational lecture, we voted on our favorite Jell-o flavor (mine is LIME) and headed into the museum to play.  What’s YOUR favorite flavor?

Without a DOUBT my favorite part of the museum was the fancy oil paintings hanging in the gallery. Don’t be surprised if you see a series of these three prints somewhere in the new Weber Homestead on the wall. I mean what says AWESOME more than an oil painting of Jell-o molds? Yeah, nothing that’s what.

The second best part of the Jell-o museum was the Shrine to Bill Cosby-o.

Utah is obviously a very progressive state, naming Jell-o the Official State Snack. If you think that photo of Bill Cosby is good wait until you click over to the RESOLUTION URGING JELL-O® RECOGNITION

Be it resolved by the Senate of the state of Utah:
WHEREAS, Jell-O® brand gelatin was introduced to the country in 1897, just one year
after Utah was admitted to the Union as the 45th state;
WHEREAS, Utah has been the number one per capita consumer of Jell-O® brand gelatin
for many years;
WHEREAS, Jell-O® is representative of good family fun, which Utah is known for
throughout the world…

And it goes on…but you have to read it for yourself.

“When I’m eating Jell-o I wish I were a giraffe…because Jell-o feels so good when it slides down your throat…and giraffes have longer throats for it to slide down!”

<NSFW> That’s What She Said-o. </NSFW>

The Jell-o girl exhibit freaked me out. Made me think that Tim Shaw needs to visit this museum to see if her ghost is haunting the building.

The only noticeable part of the history of Jell-o that I saw absent was the date that the first person realized that adding VODKA to Jell-o was the BEST IDEA EVER thus resurrecting America’s Favorite dessert into Every College Student’s Favorite Dessert! Maybe I should volunteer to work on this exhibit for them…

My 3rd favorite part of the museum was the gift shop. Jell-o EVERYTHING!

I came home with a pair of boxers for HWMMS  that say “See it Jiggle! Watch it Wiggle!” And a chef hat which I promptly put on my head and did not take off for the rest of the day.

Now you might think that was enough fun for one museum, but you would be wrong.

Downstairs there was not only a fiberglass Jell-o Cow, but a smattering of historical transportation items. Yeah. Time to leave before someone calls the authorities on us for having too much fun on a $4 admission fee.

YAY! Jell-o!

Alas, the day was not yet over…the four adventurous Jell-o tourists needed sustenance (code word JELL-O) and headed to the D&R Depot Restaurant up the street.

At first we thought maybe we were hallucinating because of the lack of Jell-o running through our veins…But no, no that is indeed an upside down snowman on the ceiling. The first thing I ordered was a glass of water and whatever flavor you have on the menu today Jell-o for an appetizer. The other three ladies joined in on the pre-meal snack and while all the food ended up being delicious that afternoon, I do think Jell-o as an appetizer ignited our palates.

Our adventurous foursome was so high on life at lunch that the sweet, unassuming older lady next to us didn’t want to leave because we were so entertaining. I do believe she was wiping away the tears laughing at/with us.

“Imagine if they were drinking, they are only eating Jell-o!”

Mmmm. And eating Bacon/Egg Elk Burgers…

Good times. Good times. Now don’t forget when you make YOUR trip to the Jell-o Museum (cause you know you want to…) mention the crazy blogger/roller derby people. Maybe you’ll get a discount.