February 5, 2021 at 8:40 a.m.
DRI to host Taste of Chocolate
Event to run Feb. 8-28 in downtown Rhinelander
DRI to host Taste of Chocolate
By Stephanie Kuski-
The annual chocolate-palooza hosted by Downtown Rhinelander, Inc. (DRI) has been expanded from a simple one-night event to several weeks throughout the month of February.
DRI's new coordinator Joseph Fehlen noted the premise of the classic "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" came to mind when thinking of creative ways to host the event in a COVID-friendly fashion.
In a similar way, patrons will have the opportunity to purchase specialty flavors of chocolate bars from participating downtown businesses with a chance to win Downtown Bucks and local gift certificates, all on the quest to win the ultimate grand prize.
The Fun Factory Sweet Shoppe has created 25 unique chocolate flavors for each participating business that will be sold for $5 just for this special event.
While some flavors of chocolate are more mainstream, others are anything but. Big Daddy's, for example, will feature dark chocolate potato chip while Denim & Leather will offer sea salt tabasco. On the other hand, other businesses will offer more conventional chocolate flavors, like Bath and Body Creation's white lavender chocolate, s'mores at Mel's Trading Post and chocolate peanut butter from Trisha's Treasures, among several others.
Each chocolate bar will include a ticket revealing an assortment of prizes, from $5, $10 or $100 in Downtown Bucks to a variety of coupons and gift certificates from participating businesses.
Fehlen noted more than 70% of the chocolate bars will be winners, so there's a good chance participants will enjoy much more than just chocolate.
He said the goal is to get patrons moving around the downtown district and engaging with businesses they might not otherwise patronize. This way, one might purchase their chocolate from Tom's Drawing Board, for example, but the prize might reveal certificates for salon services at Serenity Health & Wellness or a free bottle of wine at Catalyst Wine Bar or $5 off at Danner's Shoes.
"This is a great event for our local businesses to get people moving around in a very safe way," Fehlen said. "People are going to win prizes at one business that they will have to potentially spend at another business."
Only 1,000 chocolate bars will be sold during the event and each business will only carry 25 to 50 bars of their special chocolate flavor. Participants can purchase as many chocolate bars from as many businesses as they choose in their quest to win the grand prize.
Like Wonka's golden ticket, Taste of Chocolate participants will all be included in the chance to win the "green ticket" grand prize, sponsored by Nicolet Bank. Two winners each receiving $250 in Downtown Bucks will be announced during a Facebook Live virtual drawing at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28 on DRI's Facebook page.
Every chocolate purchased will include a chance to win the grand prize. Each chocolate bar will include a ticket number for that drawing, so participants must keep the ticket to see if they win.
Taste of Chocolate is also DRI's main fundraiser, which allows the nonprofit community group to host summer activities like Chalkfest and Redikulus Dae. But at a time when many small businesses are still feeling the effects of COVID-19, the patronage also comes at a crucial time.
The event not only affords extra foot traffic for small businesses but also encourages locals to visit downtown stores they might not usually frequent. The event will spotlight both new and long-standing businesses, giving tourists and residents alike a tempting reason to explore the downtown district.
A full list of participating businesses can be found on DRI's Facebook or website. Participating businesses will also feature signage on the windows of their store to indicate chocolate is sold there.
Taste of Chocolate will run through the end of February or until all of the chocolate is sold.
Follow Downtown Rhinelander, Inc. on Facebook and Instagram for updates and visit https:/
/www.downtownrhinelander.com for more information.
Stephanie Kuski may be reached at stephanie@rivernews online.com.
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