GREENFIELD – The annual Chocolate Walk hosted by the Greenfield Area Chamber of Commerce was a sweet success on Friday as a sold-out crowd sampled chocolate throughout downtown Greenfield.
Chamber president Retta Livengood said 27 vendors were prepared to pass out 8,100 samples of chocolate to 300 participants, who made their way to stops located throughout town.
As usual, much of the chocolate was custom-made to match each vendor’s theme.
Members of the Hancock County Master Gardeners passed out various types of chocolate in the form of flowers, while Wooden Bear Brewing Co. treated guests 21 and over to samples of chocolate beer.
The Chocolate Walk was created to raise money for chamber programming while providing incentive for participants to check out various shops and businesses downtown.
“I got my favorite T-shirt at one of the shops here last year,” said Jenna White of Morristown as she navigated the Chocolate Walk stops with her family Friday night.
Each year, her parents drive from Lafayette to attend the event with White, her husband and their two daughters – Zoe, 8 and Gwen 5 – who attend Eastern Hancock Elementary School.
This was her family’s fourth consecutive year at the event. They took a break for dinner at Pizza King between picking up samples of chocolate around town.
“I think it’s awesome because I’ve only been here a few years, and there were so many places I never knew existed until we started doing this,” said White.
Jayne Hoadley, owner of Greenfield Chocolates, said the Chocolate Walk has brought a number of new customers to her shop over the years.
“I love the concept because people need to come downtown and see who their downtown merchants are. There’s a wide variety with so much to offer,” she said as a crowd gathered in front of the glass display cases in her shop Friday evening.
She gave participants a choice between a pecan praline cup, Swiss chocolate rolled in French cocoa or a blonde truffle rolled in Vietnamese cinnamon.
The chocolate shop had also prepared custom creations for a number of Chocolate Walk vendors, including the theater masks passed out by the Friends of the Theater group at the H.J. Ricks Center for the Arts.
Three Bears Bakery gave out samples of their chocolate macarons, smaller versions of the popular staple at the bakery on the northeast corner of Depot Street Park.
While some businesses pedaled their chocolate products, some nonprofits used the event to promote their mission.
In addition to their flower-shaped chocolates, Hancock County Master Gardeners passed out flyers about its upcoming programs as well as seed packets for growing perennials, which also serve as pollinators.
The Arc of Hancock County, which supports those with developmental disabilities, also relied on the Chocolate Walk to spread the word about its mission.
“I think getting our name out there is essential right now, and this is a great way to do it,” said the nonprofit’s executive director, Liz Subrin.
She acquired her chocolates from God’s Embrace, a coffee shop on the east side of Indianapolis which trains and employs individuals with disabilities.
Livengood said this year’s list of 27 Chocolate Walk vendors was the second highest ever, and the third year the event has sold out.
“We probably could have sold another 30 or 40 tickets, so we could possibly up our numbers next year,” she said.
With hundreds of guests making their way into downtown shops, and hundreds more attending a concert at Depot Street Park that same night, Livengood said it was great to see so much “sugared” energy downtown.
