For some, there’s Valentine’s Day. For others, there’s chocolate.
Instead of waiting for Feb. 15 candy sales, the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce has an event suited for those whose favorite part of Feb. 14 isn’t flowers or diamonds but the decadent dessert many people love.
The annual Chocolate Festival, now in its 12th year, will take place on one of the biggest chocolate holidays of the year: Valentine’s Day. From 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14, the Masonic Temple on Pritham Avenue in Greenville will feature everything chocolate, from cookies to cakes.
As one of the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce’s biggest fundraisers, the Chocolate Festival brings visitors from all over the region to sample chocolate of all kinds. As long as there’s chocolate in it, festival organizers will take it. Visitors can expect much more than just traditional candies and can sample 12 items from a selection of more than 40 different chocolate treats.
“Think of it like a chocolate buffet,” Angie Arno, executive director of the Moosehead Lake Chamber of Commerce, said.
Traditional chocolate fare will be available, but more unique items have been featured in the past, including chocolate-dipped bacon, dessert lasagna and chocolate-raspberry petit fours, which are expected every year from organizer Diane Bartley.
The Chocolate Festival was founded by the fundraising committee of the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce. Bartley was one of the original organizers of the event and helps see it through to this day, but she attributes the original idea to Susan Hamer, chairman of the committee at the time.
Bartley’s father, Tony “King Chocolate” Bartley, has also been involved from the beginning. At 84 years old, he makes a point to attend each year with his chocolate fountain in hand and a treat to offer others. This year, it’s brownie coconut cookies.
Locals have been supportive of the festival, bringing it success each year, but Arno and Bartley agree that when the event falls on Valentine’s Day — it’s always held the second weekend of February — numbers are strongest.
“In this area, funds are difficult to come by. There’s no money for just marketing, so the chamber wanted to figure out an idea that was specifically for the region,” Bartley said. All funds raised from the event will benefit the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce, which puts the money back into marketing efforts to attract people to the area.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids and will be available at the door. Visitors can expect a silent auction featuring all-inclusive weekend excursions in the Moosehead Lake Region; a kids corner with food, games, prizes and giveaways; and, of course, chocolate — so much chocolate, that Bartley’s says it’s apparent when walking through the door.
“When you walk in, you’ll smell chocolate,” she said.
