A Chocolate Lovers Delight in Glendale

For a delicious assault on the senses, visit the Glendale Chocolate Affaire on  Feb. 4-6, as downtown Glendale becomes a chocoholic’s paradise!

Not only will there be thirty chocolate purveyors, including local and national chocolatiers, but this award-winning event includes wine-tasting, horse-drawn carriage rides, romance novelists workshops and meet-and-greets with the authors along with live entertainment.

The Beatles tribute band, Marmalade Skies will perform Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Other performers include Urban Country at 7:30 Saturday, covering everything country from classics like Merle Haggard to new hits from artists such as Dierks Bentley. Another performer on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. is Chuck E. Baby and the All-Star Band, a party band entertaining Arizona audiences since 1983.

The shops and restaurants in downtown Glendale will be rolling out the red carpet during this years celebration with a special decorating contest for Valentine’s Day. Visitors are invited to participate in the storefront decorating contest as judges. Simply stop by the Glendale Visitor Center to pick up a walking map with the participating businesses listed, along with the official contest ballot. Return the completed ballot to the Glendale Visitor Center by February 14 at 5 p.m. indicating your top choice for the “People’s Choice Award.” Completed ballots will be entered into a drawing to win a Cerreta’s candy gift basket.

Chocolate lovers will have the chance to tour Glendale’s hometown chocolatier, Cerreta’s. Shuttles will run during event hours from Murphy Park to the chocolate factory, where attendees will get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how the confections are made from scratch.

Children will enjoy hands-on arts and crafts, face-painting and a rock-climbing wall. Horse-drawn carriage rides will be available throughout the weekend to take couples or families on a scenic, charming ride through the Historic Catlin Court District.  While you are there visit The Country Maiden (map) an old time country store full of wonderful treats, Papa Ed’s (map) for ice cream and Michele and Gerald’s Southern Cuisine for yummy fried chicken.

On Saturday, two different art events will take place within the festival. First, a Plein Air contest, in which dozens of artists will take part, competing for multiple prizes in which the compositions are done in the ‘open air;’ and second, the First Saturdays event will debut, with more than 20 artists taking part as well as live music performances, all taking place along the newly revamped pedestrian alleyway just off of 58th Avenue.

Cooking Demonstrations on Saturday will be held inside the Fountain Terrace of the Glendale Civic Center (map) next to the author’s workshop and cake show.  Tempting appetizers, Crepes and Romantic Chicken Mole will be the highlights of the demos that begin at 12:45 p.m.

What a great way to get a jump on Valentines Day and satisfy your sweet tooth. For more information about the timing of the events, visit their web site.

Photo courtesy of flickr