During the year of Gloucester County’s 325th birthday and the country’s 200th birthday, the 1976 Bicentennial Cookbook was created. For 50 years this book has been used and enjoyed by several generations. It was impossible to find the one person who could tell how it all began, so we turned to the Gazette-Journal files for the story. The first article, dated February 19, 1976 by Sue Oliver, asked “Are you patriotic? Are you willing to share your recipes as part of the Gloucester’76 celebration?” She went on to write about recipe categories, rules for contestants. and even included an entry form one could just clip out of the newspaper, fill in, attach recipe and send it in. The article also gave a complete review of what was to come. May 6, 1976: “Tickets are now available for the Gloucester ’76 Celebration Tasting Spree. Copies of the 184-page cookbook containing 278 recipes will be distributed, one to a family.” Cookbooks could also be obtained by check or money order; adults $3.50; ...