An affair to savor
By Raquel GuerreroManaging Editor, The VOICE
Once again the Historic Downtown Glendale District burst with activities for the hundreds of people that participated in the Glendale Chocolate Affair Festival.
Photo by Rogelio Macias/ The VOICE
Cerreta Candy Company worker hands an eager customer a decadant chocolate dipped strawberry.
According to the City of Glendale, the chocolate festivals lengthy list of participating romance novelists was actually the largest gathering of national romance novelists in the Southwest.
At the Chocolate Affair Festival, the public also had access to free workshops on various subjects such as "The Life of a Writer - Not all Glamour & Bon Bons", "Writing Novellas", and "Ghosts & Paranormal Experiences." Of course the festival was full of chocolate covered fruit like strawberries and bananas.
In addition, the cool weather, music, and light decorations created a delightful atmosphere for the crowds as they weaved throughout booths in Murphy Park and nearby antique stores.
The Mr. Fudge booth was busy handing out samples and helping costumers. Mrs. Fudge, Sharon Hemingon, said that their small business started at the fudge capitol Mackinac Island of Massachusetts.
According to Mr. Fudge, Fred Hemingon, the Island had no motor driven vehicles so instead people rode in horses on carriages and bicycles.
However, the islands 0 to 10 degree weather inspired them to expand their business to Southern California.
At one point, the Mr. Fudge business grew to up to 7 locations in Los Angeles.
In the festival, away from Mr. Fudge and the other clusters of booths, a stage was set up with live music from the band Peppermint James.
Actually, a total of nine artists and bands performed during the weekend at the festival.
Even though, there were activities like inflatable obstacle courses and face paintings for children at the festival, a couple criticized the event because it became more commercial over the years.
Even though, the 1968 GCC alumni, Lupe and Pat Soto enjoyed the overall Chocolate Affair Festival they stated that they would like to see more of the community at the event like before.
Please send comments to rguerrero@gccvoice.com
