Newton will rally round the fig on May 7 with a grand barbecue and a special appearance by pop singer Juice Newton. (Wayne Newton and Olivia Newton-John were too busy–and too expensive.) Big Fig, a cousin of the California Raisins, will dance and sing: “Ooey gooey, rich and chewy inside; tender flaky, golden cakey outside.” Student artists will display such modified masterpieces as a version of van Gogh’s “Starry Night” with a Fig Newtonstudded heaven.
Nabisco Brands, which manufactures the cookies, is donating 25 fig trees to the town. “Each of us will be able to contemplate our navel under a fig tree in Newton. It’s very Biblical,” says Mayor Mann, sounding as if he may be ready for a rest after all the fig hoopla. Last week, Boston Marathoners chomped Fig Newtons at the prerace carbo-loading party. Outranked nationally only by Oreos and Chips Ahoy!, the sticky centenarian is running as strong as ever.
