D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
February
2009
Sweet Tradition
Silver City's tasty annual Chocolate Fantasia fundraiser, Feb. 7, delivers downtown excitement and a big chocolate kiss for the arts.
Put aside — if only for a day — your New Year's resolution to diet! It's time for Chocolate Fantasia, the Mimbres Region Arts Council's annual fundraiser that draws the area's best professional and amateur chocolate makers into a sweet frenzy of competition, Feb. 7, 12-4 p.m., in downtown Silver City.
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A designated chocolate server mans
her table at a Silver City downtown gallery, awaiting the onslaught of
ticket holders. |
As always, numerous local musicians will add musical flair to the festivities, playing at many of the chocolate locations.
A maximum of 400 tickets (advance only!) will be sold this year. Your $20 buys 20 handmade gourmet pieces, selected from your choice among the 30 sites participating this year.
Get your ticket early, the event's organizers warn. Chocolate Fantasia traditionally sells out completely, with not only locals but out-of-state visitors making their annual chocolate pilgrimage to snap up the sweetest ticket in town.
The event is volunteer-driven — from the local chocolatiers who each work to create hundreds of the tastiest, most original and artful confections, to the designated chocolate servers, block captains who help to direct those seeking sweets and downtown business owners.
And it's all for a sweet cause, too. All proceeds from Chocolate Fantasia benefit the Mimbres Region Arts Council, one of the top-rated arts councils in the state for years running. The non-profit organization's mission statement says it seeks to enrich the cultural life of southwestern New Mexico by providing quality programs that nurture and inspire a love and understanding of the arts.
There's no need to wait for the local newspapers to find out who won "Tastiest in Show." The judging takes place earlier in the day, and the winning chocolatier and site will be announced at a ceremony at Isaac's Bar & Grill, on the corner of Bullard and Broadway, right after the event concludes at 4 p.m. Top prize is $100. See if you and the judges agree on who created the confection best in taste, texture and presentation!
— Donna Clayton
If You Go: Chocolate Fantasia Feb. 7, 12-4 p.m. 30 locations in downtown Silver City
Tickets: Mimbres Region Arts Council office in the Wells Fargo Bank building, Gila Hike & Bike, Alotta Gelato, Leyba & Ingalls Arts and Century 21 in Silver City, and A.I.R. Coffee in Bayard. A map of the chocolate sites is given out with tickets. A schedule of the event's musical performances also will be provided. $2 gift boxes are available in advance at the MRAC office, and at the Chocolate Fantasia headquarters in the Silco Theatre, 311 N. Bullard St., on the day of the event. For more information, call the MRAC at 538-2505, (888) 758-7289, or visit www.mimbresarts.org |