Arvada's 8th Annual Chocolate Affair February 7, 2009

Historic Olde Town Arvada and Arvada Festivals Commission
8th Annual Chocolate Affair

"Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies." - John Q. Tullius

If you dream of chocolate, historic Olde Town Arvada (W. 57th Ave. & Olde Wadsworth) celebrates all things chocolate at the 8th Annual Chocolate Affair on February 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This fun family event, presented by the Arvada Festivals Commission and Historic Olde Town Arvada Association, features the Chocolate Therapist, Julie Pech; a Taste of Chocolate; the Chocolate Treasure Hunt; a Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest; storytelling and other kids activities; and giant Lamp Post Hearts all over town. According to Nancy Bentzen, one of the event’s co-chairs, “Last year’s Taste of Chocolate! and the Chocolate Treasure Hunt were popular activities and introduced many new people to Olde Town Arvada.”

Join Julie Pech, The Chocolate Therapist, at 11:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. at the DNote, 7519 Grandview Ave., for a discussion about the health benefits of chocolate. Chocolate is good for you! So says award-winning author Julie Pech, Colorado’s Chocolate Therapist, who will give her entertaining presentation on the multiple health benefits of chocolate. Pech, in her book The Chocolate Therapist: A User’s Guide to the Extraordinary Health Benefits of Chocolate, maintains that the only difference between guilt-ridden and guilt-free chocolate enjoyment is simply education.

Taste of Chocolate! Presented at the DNote 7519 Grandview Ave., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Calorie-craving chocolate lovers can sample chocolate-based food and drink presented by several invited chocolatiers, bakers, and restaurants.
Get ten tickets for $5.00 and taste deliciously presented samples.
All proceeds benefit the Arvada Ralston House. Last year the Taste of Chocolate! raised over $2,000 to help the organization provide a safe place for over 500 children and their families to tell their story of abuse and to begin to heal, according to Don Mosley, director of Ralston House.

Join the adventure of the Chocolate Treasure Hunt, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Visit Olde Town stores searching for creative chocolate clues. Teams and individuals will compete for prize drawings of large chocolate-enriched baskets of goodies. This is a free family fun activity.

New this year, the Creative Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest is open to all amateur bakers to show off their yummy skills by entering a favorite chip delight. For the cookie contest, 6 cookie samples should be dropped off at the library between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. at the Arvada Library on Town Square, 7525 W. 57th Ave. To entertain little chocolate lovers, the Arvada Library, 7525 W. 57th Ave., will host story-telling throughout the Festival.

For $25 you can declare your love from the Olde Town lampposts with a giant personalized heart. Hearts will hang from the lampposts on Wadsworth Boulevard and Grandview Avenue.
Call the Historic Olde Town Arvada office at 303-420-6100 to order your heart.

Chocolate producers and retailers are invited to join the Taste of Chocolate! and offer samples of their sweet treats by calling 303-420-6100.

For more information about the event, to buy tickets to the Taste of Chocolate, or to purchase Lamp Post Hearts, call Historic Olde Town Arvada office at 303-420-6100.