NORWAY — The Norway Historical Society is again recreating the spirit of Fletcher’s Candy Store, a popular Main Street stop during the past century.

For the second year, the society will sell handmade peanut brittle, fudge, needhams, peanut butter cups, truffles, caramel popcorn and penny candy at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at its Main Street building.

The event is being held in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce’s 38th annual Christmas Parade, which starts at 11 a.m. on Main Street by the Advertiser-Democrat Block and will proceed down Main Street to Market Square in Paris.

There will also be a display of the table and chairs from the original store and copper pots the owner used to make candy. A Christmas tree with decorations made by the Guy E. Rowe Elementary School third-grade class will also be on display.

Known for years as the “sweetest spot in Norway,” the store was opened on Main Street on Nov. 7, 1903, by John H. Fletcher. It was famous for its handmade candy, particularly candy canes and ribbon candy at Christmas time, and a variety of penny candy, said Anita Hamilton, a trustee of the society. The candy store was housed in three different Main Street buildings over the years.

Hamilton said several dozen people will make homemade candy, setting up the store and selling the sweets.

“Some folks are using tried-and-true secret family recipes, and others experimenting with new recipes,” said Hamilton, whose father is making fudge using the “old” Hershey recipe.

Sandra Fletcher Kennedy, a seasonal visitor to Norway, will send some of her favorite candies that her father used to make in his store.

Anyone who would like to donate homemade candy should contact the society by emailing norwaymehistory@gmail.com or by calling 743-7377.

Jeff Ward will bring his popular old-fashioned cash register to use, Hamilton said.

Fletcher learned the candy-making trade with the Morton Candy Co. in Portland, where he lived before opening the Norway store.

His store was a favorite of many, including Mellie Dunham, the famous fiddler from Norway, who, according to newspaper accounts, used to go to Fletcher’s to buy licorice sticks or candy to fill his pockets and hand out to the children in his family.

The building that originally housed Fletcher’s Candy Store at Danforth and Main streets was built in 1894 and still stands today. It features fan motif and matching oriel windows and is considered one of the most elaborate and unaltered examples of original wooden commercial architecture in Norway, according to a walking tour description by Norway Downtown.

ldixon@sunjournal.com