What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, April 4, 2018:
Smart Talk is on the road again Wednesday, in Hershey at The Hershey Story Museum. We’ll explore the history of the “other” model town that Milton Hershey built in Cuba.
Hershey, Cuba, is named after Milton S. Hershey, who founded the town in 1916. He created a prosperous model industrial city on the Island nation, featuring a state-of-the art sugar manufacturing facility.
Along with the sugar mill, Hershey built schools, health clinics and a successful railway line running from Havana to the port.
After his death in 1945, Hershey’s Cuban assets were sold and continued to operate until Castro’s takeover of the Island in 1959. The mill eventually ceased operations in 2003 and the town, now called Camilo Cienfuegos City, lost its industrial identity and economic engine.
A new exhibit at The Hershey Story Museum, “Mr. Hershey’s Cuba: A Sweet Venture in Sugar, 1916-1946, tells the story of Hershey’s grand Cuban venture in sugar manufacturing.
Smart Talk is joined by Valerie Seiber, the collections manager at The Hershey Story Museum, along with Pamela Whitenack, manager of Hershey Community Archives.
Nester Gil will share his father’s experiences growing up in Hershey, Cuba, and working with the railroad.
Baseball was an important recreation in Cuba and we’re also joined by Thomas Goodman from the Caribbean Educational and Baseball Foundation.
Also, there’s been many changes to downtown Hershey in recent years. On Wednesday’s Smart Talk, we’ll learn about economic development plans and projects. Lauren Zumbrun, Derry Township Economic Development manager joins the discussion, along with Susan Cort, Derry Township Board of Supervisors.
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