Creede gears up for 30th annual Chocolate Festival

CREEDE — There is no better way to spend the day after Thanksgiving than eating homemade chocolate and shopping in the little shops around Creede. The 30th annual Chocolate Festival will kick off the day after Thanksgiving and the entire town of Creede is ready to take on the holiday shoppers from the valley. The festival includes delicious homemade treats, shopping deals in shops around town with live music and festive activities.

Creede can be a hopping place in the summertime and in the winter, can offer a reprieve from the busy holiday season found in the larger communities in the valley. Shop owners open specifically for the weekend to offer special deals for the adventurers in the family. Retailers also participate in the festival and offer homemade chocolate treats to their shoppers as they meander their way around town.

The festival originated as a way to get people to come and enjoy the business district in Creede and to present a fun way to kick off the holiday season. Each participant is given a list of businesses who will have samples of chocolate and are sent on their way to find their favorite treat. At the end of the day, the lists are dropped off at Basham Park and counted to come up with the people’s choice award. Each participating business competes for the top spot and bragging rights for the next year as the town’s best chocolatiers.

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Creede offers a variety of shops that will be open and welcoming with holiday specials on unique and sometimes homemade gifts. Places like Ooh La Spa and Rare Things Gallery have advertised something for everyone.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Nov. 29-30. Both days of the Chocolate Festival will also include the “Scoop Chase.” This event allows guests and visitors to interact with the business by providing fun questions that can only be answered by going into the business and sparking conversation. Such questions add a bit of fun to the chocolate tasting and forms an opportunity to learn about the participating businesses.

The “Scoop Chase” winners will be announced each day between 3:30-4 p.m. for a chance to win prizes. A list of winners for the festival will be announced the following Monday and give the winning business bragging rights for the next years.