by Stef Jantz, Food Columnist

Mardi Gras is such a great time of the year with all the parades, parties, balls, and overall wild fun, and there’s so much that ties into it.  Not only are beads thrown but a delectable treat that makes people go wild, Moon Pies.  It all started in the great state of Tennessee. 

Back in 1917, a Kentucky coal miner told a traveling salesman that he wanted a treat as big as the moon.  The salesman went off to a bakery and came back with a round treat that was filling and fit easily in their lunch pail. 

A Chattanooga bakery created this tasty treat and they realized that it was bigger than they imagined.  They were cheap and flew off the shelves. 

By 1929, women who worked in the bakery were packing hundreds of these babies every day.  Moon pies became so big that they were the favorite snack that troops took with them or sent to them during WW2.  They became the top snack for children too that parents enjoyed giving them.

By the 60s and 70s, MoonPie wanted to try new things so it was then that they created the double decker to include vanilla and banana flavors, but today, we know there’s so much more.  MoonPie has been passed down from generation to generation and has never wavered. 

100 years now and they’re still going strong to this day, but how did they reach the south?  Great question!

Here we go.  In 1711, the first parade in Mobile had kicked off, created by 16 men who made a paper mâché cow head and pushed it on a cart down the street that led to a large outdoor party.  As years went by, the parades in Mobile and New Orleans grew into larger festivities that happened between Saturday and the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. 

In the 40s and 50s, the executive director of the Mobile Carnival Association stated that float organizers wanted to throw something softer into the crowds other than Cracker Jack boxes.  Thus, the journey begins! 

Members from the local ladies’ organization were at a convention in Chattanooga and came across the moon pies.  They judged the size and weight and knew that they would become a great item to throw for the crowd so they brought them back. 

The MoonPie became a staple to throw in parades in the 1960s.  Today, the Chattanooga bakery estimates that 500,000 of their famous pies are thrown each year. 

Not only are moon pies a hit in the south, but the famous duo of an RC Cola and MoonPie dates back to the great depression.  It was considered the perfect “working man’s lunch” since it cost ten cents during those hard times.  They weren’t meant to be paired but it became a staple throughout the decades of both enjoyment and fulfillment. 

Also, did you know that the iconic pairing became so big that there’s a yearly festival in Tennessee?  Yeah! 

In 1992, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the MoonPie, the town of Bell Buckle offered to throw a birthday party.  The celebration was so successful that it became an annual event. 

The third Saturday in June, they  have a ceremonial cutting of the largest MoonPie followed along with parades, dancing, games, and live music.  So, if you ever want to take a trip and get free RC and MoonPie, Bell Buckle, Tennessee is the place to be.