All treats, no tricks
Most people have one favorite candy. Maybe more.
Halloween fan and women's basketball coach Megan Duffy, for example, lists her top three favorite candies as Snickers, Milk Duds, and Swedish Fish.
While some candy just appeals to our sweet tooth, other favorites are tied to a special memory. These Hokies share their stories.
Jeff Bolton
Bolton, advanced instructor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, defines his favorite candy based on two categories: Sugary and chocolatey. Both, however, are connected to good childhood memories.
"My favorite sugary candy is Grape Nerds," Bolton said. "I remember getting them on Halloween as a kid, and it reminds me of when I was young and the world was simpler."
Bolton's favorite chocolate candy is a 5th Avenue, a treat that reminds him more of golf than Halloween.
"There was a little vending machine just around the corner from the 18th green where I played, and my dad would stop there and get us each a can of Coke and I would get a 5th Avenue to eat in the car on the way home," Bolton said.
William Poland
Poland, a master's degree student in electrical engineering and the 2024-25 graduate and professional student representative on the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, prefers chocolate candy to others, especially the miniature chocolate bars. His Halloweens involved making business deals over candy at the end of the night with his brother.
"After getting back from trick-or-treating, I would always lay all my candies out on the floor and sort them to see what I got," Poland said. "Then I would proceed to make trades with my brother to try and get more chocolates."
Poland's parents viewed his deals as swindles, but he perfers the word "savvy."
Linsey Marr
Marr, the Charles P. Lunsford Professor and University Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has loved the combination of peanut butter and chocolate since she was a kid, but store bought never matched her mom's recipe.
"I liked Reese's Peanut Butter Cups that I scored during Halloween trick-or-treating, but what really cemented my love of the chocolate-peanut butter combination was my mom's killer, homemade chocolate peanut butter bars," Marr said.
As an adult, Trader Joe's dark chocolate peanut butter cups are her favorite, what she calls the "adult version of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup."
"Chocolate and peanut butter are the ultimate combination," Marr said.
Cadet Shemaiah Palma
Palma, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, reaches for candy with fun in the name.
"My favorite Halloween candy is Fun Dip," Palma said. "For me, it's the best candy ever because it's more than just a taste."
For Palma, eating Fun Dip is reliving childhood.
"Dipping the candy stick into the sweet powder is fun and brings back memories of when I was a kid trick-or-treating and being excited when I saw Fun Dip in my bag."
Ending up with a multicolored tongue is also a fun bonus, she said.
