Chocolate Festival brings sweetness to Greenville
GREENVILLE — Greenville is gearing up for one of its most popular winter events on Sunday, Feb. 16 — the annual Chocolate Festival. This year the festival, which was created 16 years ago by former Moosehead Chamber Executive Director Bob Hamer and his wife Susan as a fundraiser for the chamber, tips its hat to Maine’s 200th anniversary.
In addition to the Hamers, Tony Bartley and his daughter Diane have been involved with the Chocolate Festival since its inception. Tony is famous for his delectable, warm chocolate fountain, into which he dips fresh fruit. Diane has painstakingly created petit fours for years and, along with her mother Pinky, has done a lot behind the scenes to make the festival a success.
Last year 40 members of the community created 100 pieces of chocolate for the festival — that works out to 4,000 offerings for festival goers. This year promises to deliver the same, and with added events to make the festival even more special.
The Chocolate Festival will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cafeteria of the Greenville Schools on Pritham Avenue, allowing for ample parking and plenty of room to view the decadent offerings. And, if you’re in a bit of a hurry, you have the opportunity to access a Fast Pass which will not only allow you to skip the lines, you will even have access to a separate door to enter the festival. Doors open early for those with Fast Pass tickets — 12:30 p.m. — and these tickets are limited. Contact Grace Bardsley at the Destination Moosehead Lake Visitors Center for more information at (207)695-2702.
Diane and Tony Bartley, long-time contributors to Greenville’s Chocolate Festival.
Folks coming to the festival can choose what size box to purchase depending on how many goodies they want. A $10 box gives you 10 choices while a $5 box gives you the opportunity to sample five. You’ll find everything from chocolate lasagna, Chocolate Guinness Cake, Malibu Moose rum balls, and of course Tony Bartley’s famous chocolate fountain.
In addition, there will be a silent auction and a Chinese raffle with many terrific items and valuable gift certificates to choose from. Organizers of the festival have brought back the beloved children’s corner, where for $5 kids will have the opportunity to do some coloring, participate in cookie decorating and get their face painted. Juice boxes and treats will be available as well.
So, mark your calendars for Feb. 16. You won’t want to miss it. All proceeds from the event go to support the Moosehead Lake Destination Marketing Organization. For more information visit www.destinationmooseheadlake.com/chocolate or call Grace Bardsley at 207/695-2702. You can also go online at www.destinationmooseheadlake.com and click the Events button.