Dr Pepper

Waco, Texas

Weather: low 48 degrees, high 83 degrees, cloudy in the morning, partly cloudy and windy in the afternoon

We went to the Dr Pepper museum today. One of the things we learned in the tour was that the correct way to spell Dr Pepper is to leave the period off the Dr part. The museum is located in the same building that Dr Pepper was bottled in the early 1900s. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Charles Alderton created the flavors for Dr Pepper while working at the Old Corner Drug Store in 1885. When local people wanted one of the new drinks, they asked for a "Waco", because it could not be bought outside the city of Waco. Later on, the drink acquired the name Dr Pepper and started being sold everywhere. The formula has not changed over time except for the sweetener used. The original, which is still being bottled in Dublin, Texas, uses Imperial Cane Sugar, while the drink being sold elsewhere uses corn sweetener.

The museum concetrated on the history of Dr Pepper, but it also had exhibits remembering the history of the soft drink industry in general. One poster we liked was about RC Cola and a Moonpie. How many people remember that? The first soft drink that was a success commercially was Hiers Root Beer, and of course root beer is still a big favorite. How many people know that it is flavored with sassafras?

Dr Pepper is owned now by Cadbury/Schweppes, a company in England that is famous for their chocolate. Many personalities have been spokespersons for Dr Pepper over the years, including John Wayne, Garth Brooks, David Naughton, and Barry Manilow, among others. Barry Manilow wrote the theme for Dr Pepper.

Dr Pepper is especially popular in Texas. When we were at the museum, most of the visitors were young people. If Texas had a National Soft Drink, it would be Dr Pepper.

Our Internet signal is still not strong enough to upload pictures we took today. I'll try to send those out when we have a better signal.

After visiting the museum, we drove around the town, getting familiar with where everything is. Before going home, we went to WalMart to pick up a few things. Since the truck needed servicing, I had that taken care of. After all that fun, it was time to go home and rest.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town -Gainesville, Florida: Where Nature and Culture Meet

Not all people who wander are lost.