Activity Director JoDee Howell holding a flyer promoting the Chocolate Lover's Festival, and a box that people will get to fill with candy. The festival will be held at 11 a.m. on Feb. 9, at the downtown pavilion. People can buy a box and fill it with homemade chocolates. Hot chocolate and cider will be available for purchase, as well. Proceeds of the festival go towards activities for Long Term Care residents.
Valentine's Day is always a popular holiday among those who enjoy eating chocolate. Chocolate and the holiday for love and romance have long been connected. In Wrangell, however, there is another special chocolate-related event in February that chocoholics can look forward to. The Chocolate Lovers Festival will be taking place this Sat., Feb. 9, at the Downtown Pavilion.
JoDee Howell, Activities Director with the Wrangell Medical Center, is organizing the festival this year. She said that the festival has a long history in Wrangell, but is unsure of how many years it has been a tradition. The event had always been put together by the Wrangell Medical Center Auxiliary, she said, but as they voted to disband last October the activities department has taken over.
"I have a great team who's helping," Howell said.
Starting at 11 a.m., she explained, people can come by the Downtown Pavilion and purchase a box. Then they can go around and pick out whatever kind of chocolates they want, all homemade. A free cup of hot chocolate or cider comes with every box, she said. People are not limited to a single box, either. They can purchase as many as they want, or until supplies run out.
"They'll be homemade chocolates," she said. "I have somebody bringing some turtles. I have somebody bringing chocolate-dipped pretzels. I'm going to attempt to make caramels."
The boxes make a great present for a valentine, Howell said, or just a nice treat for anybody with a sweet tooth. Not only will people attending get plenty of chocolate, but they will also get the satisfaction of knowing they're helping a good cause. Howell said that the money they raise from the festival will be used for fun activities for Wrangell's seniors in Long Term Care. These include boat rides, trips to the movies, lunch outings, birthday parties, and things like that. There is no monetary goal for the Chocolate Lovers Festival, she said, but she hopes that the community comes out to show its support.
"My goal is for the community to come out and support the elders in our long term care, she said. "I want to get people out in the community to know that they're still here. It will take a community effort to provide the things that these residents need. It's not just taking them and going out to lunch, and coffee, or something like that. It's more than that. It's them, the residents, knowing that people care."
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