Death of Twinkies Costs Jobs in Palmer

No more Twinkies, Sno Balls and Ding Dongs.

And for about 30 workers at the Hostess Cakes plant in Palmer Township, that also means no more jobs.

Hostess went out of business Friday following a labor dispute in which thousands of workers at Hostess bakeries in Philadelphia went on strike last week. Hostess said it was hoping to sell its brands to another company.

The closure put 18,500 people out of work nationally.

"It is obviously very difficult to witness a business closing their doors within your community, especially a business that has been existence for such a long time," said Alison Miers, vice president of Easton Initiatives for The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.

"The Lehigh Valley will continue to pursue and create an attractive environment for new businesses to open, bringing local jobs while understanding what causes a business to close their doors," Miers said. "Understanding the 'why' of doors closing will certainly help us with our prospecting and retention methods."

A call to the company's Palmer Township location on Fox Hill Road was answered by a recorded message Monday.

"Hostess Brands has closed all of its bakeries," the message stated. "Do not come to work. The company's assets are for sale. For more information, go to the Hostess website."

The Fox Hill Road site was a wholesale bakery/distribution center for Hostess Cakes.

"Every single time, it's a horror story," Palmer Supervisor Ann-Marie Panella said. "It's people's lives. We seem to forget that when you look at numbers. These aren't statistics. These are people with families and kids who are looking forward to Christmas."

Hostess began in 1925 and was making some of the most recognizable snack cakes today, such as Twinkies, Sno Balls and Ding Dongs.

The bakery also bakes and ships WonderBread, another brand of Interstate Baking Company, Hostess' parent company.