Hot Springs will have an opportunity to satisfy its sweet tooth while supporting a good cause on Sunday at the 13th annual Chocolate Festival benefiting Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic.
As Charles Dickens once said, "There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate." From 1-3 p.m. in the lobby of Embassy Suites Hot Springs -- Hotel & Spa, 400 Convention Blvd., friends, families and chocolate-lovers can sample decadent sweets like cupcakes, ice cream, brownies, cookies and individual chocolate pieces from local vendors.
Vendors will include Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa, which will be returning to defend its 2016 title for Best Taste category, Bistro 400, Bleu Monkey, Bliss Cupcakes, 2016 Best Show Winner, Dolce Gelato, Fat Bottomed Girls Cupcakes, 2016 People's Choice Winner, The Hotel Hot Springs & Spa, Magic Springs & Crystal Falls, National Park College Hospitality Class and Quarter's Cafe.
Sponsors for the event include Allen Tillery, Alliance Rubber, CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs, Irvin and Evea Bainum Foundation, KYE-YAC, Jane Howard Foundation, Levi Hospital, Morris Foundation, National Park Medical Center, Oaklawn Jockey Club, Relyance Bank, Richard Goodman, Robert and Marsha Arledge Jr., Quality Plus Printing and Seiz Signs.
CCMC Executive Director Lynn Blankenship said there are 16 vendors signed up, and they expect around 600 guests at the festival. Guests will enjoy a live and silent auction and the Fun City Quartet will provide entertainment.
"We actually, for the first time, will have a live auction for several of the items. And we've taken some of the larger groupings, or larger items, and we'll put it together for a live auction, so it's going to be a little exciting. The big gift that I think is probably going to get a lot of attention is, we have a puppy. I've got the puppy here with me; it's spending the weekend at my house. It's a Boggle -- a mixed breed, which is a Beagle and a Boston terrier. It's so cute," Blankenship said.
Other live auction items will include an original painting by magician Maxwell Blade and a weekend stay at The Hotel Hot Springs & Spa in the presidential suite with a massage in the hotel's in-house spa included.
The festival is the longest-running and most successful fundraiser for CCMC, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The nonprofit organization's original mission was to serve and advocate for the needy in Hot Springs, providing general medical care and medications to the uninsured and dental and vision services to the underinsured. It still provides those services in its clinic, but since the Affordable Care Act was passed and more people qualify for insurance, CCMC is now able to provide other services and programs that help individuals out of poverty.
"(The day of the festival) is a day that people can set aside all of their preconceived notions about desserts, because chocolate is heart-healthy, and it's for a great cause, which negates any calories, from what I understand," Blankenship said. "Chocolate is just fun, and it supports a great cause."
Ticket prices are $15 in advance or $20 at the door, and can be purchased online at http://www.ccmchs.org. VIP tickets are available for $50 each.
Call 318-1153 for more information.
Local on 02/04/2017