Chocolate – Salem Happenings

14th Annual Salem’s So Sweet Festival

The big game is this weekend, and it’s definitely looking like it will be a game to remember even though the Patriots aren’t in it (I know. I feel your pain.) In fact, even if the Panthers/Broncos matchup doesn’t live up to all of the hype, it certainly appears that all of the performances and commercials that the NFL has lined up for Super Bowl 50 will make it a spectacle for the ages. However, if you have a loved one who isn’t really into football and you want to do something with them before the big game (perhaps so you can drag them to a Super Bowl party without feeling guilty), you may want to head over to Salem this weekend (especially if your loved one is a fan of sweets.)

This is because the 14th Annual Salem’s So Sweet Festival is scheduled to begin at 6:30 P.M. tonight (Friday, February 5, 2016). This festival, which runs until Sunday evening (February 7, 2016), will feature 23 ice sculptures (weather permitting), discounted trolley rides (also weather permitting), and discounts at a number of locations throughout downtown Salem. As a result, if you’re looking for a great way to check out Salem or you’re just looking for a way to take your significant other out for the night without breaking the bank, the Salem So Sweet Festival is definitely the way to go. For more information on the 14th Annual Salem’s So Sweet Festival, please visit Salem’s So Sweet on Facebook or visit the Salem Main Streets website.

Photo via VisualHunt

A Snowy Valentine’s Day

Sick of the snow? Looking for something fun and warm to do this Valentine’s Day? Well, fear not. Even though Boston is under six and half feet of snow right now, there’s still plenty of stuff going on this weekend to keep you and your significant other entertained. In fact, even if you don’t have a significant other right now, there are a number of events in the Boston area this weekend that are sure to warm your heart even if they don’t necessarily warm your hands.

First, if you and/or your significant other are into sweets, there’s no better place to be this weekend than the Salem So Sweet Chocolate and Ice Sculpture Festival. The Salem So Sweet Chocolate and Ice Sculpture Festival is an annual tradition in Salem, Massachusetts that typically runs the week before Valentine’s Day, and this year is no different. This festival, which runs until 6:30 P.M. on Sunday (February 15, 2015), features over 15 ice sculptures (including some that aren’t completely buried in snow yet), chocolate tastings, discounts at local museums and restaurants, a raffle, wine tastings, and more. For more information on the Salem So Sweet Chocolate and Ice Sculpture Festival, please visit the Salem Main Streets Festival page.

If, on the other hand, you and/or your beloved are more interested in mysteries than ice and chocolates or you are looking for some way to combine your Valentine’s Day celebration with Friday the 13th (without watching a movie like My Bloody Valentine), you may want to check out Marriage Can be Murder. Marriage Can be Murder is a murder mystery scheduled to take place at the Elephant and Castle Pub in Boston at 5:00, 6:30, and 8:00 P.M. tomorrow (February 14, 2015). This production, which will be performed by the Mystery Cafe, will place you and a group of other individuals in the role of wedding guests tasked with determining who committed the most horrific faux pas imaginable — murdering one of the other guests. In fact, you will not only be able to go through clues and use fake money to bribe the actors for more information between scenes but also join in all of the typical wedding festivities like trying to catch the bouquet, doing the chicken dance, and more. For more information on Marriage Can be Murder and/or to order tickets, please visit the Mystery Cafe website.

Finally, if you don’t have a significant other or you’ve always thought Valentine’s Day was a lame excuse to sell more greeting cards, Area Four in Cambridge has you covered. This is because Area Four is hosting their Fourth Annual Haters Valentine’s Day from 5:00 P.M. to midnight tomorrow (February 14, 2015). This somewhat unusual Valentine’s Day celebration will allow you to watch a series of angry films; listen to emo music; and sample a variety of anti-Valentine’s Day themed dishes, including Arrabbiata “Angry” Pizza, Jerked Chicken, Irate Rice, and Skewered Lamb Neck. For more information on the Fourth Annual Haters Valentine’s Day celebration, please visit Area Four’s Yelp event page.

Photo credit: seyed mostafa zamani / Foter / CC BY

Wait…What Day Is It Again?

No matter what you do, there’s never enough time in the day to accomplish everything. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance that one of the most difficult tasks you will face on a daily basis is trying to figure out how you’re going to accomplish the mountain of tasks that you have set before you. As a result, it really should come as no surprise that you have to prioritize and put off things that you think you can accomplish later. The problem is that later, like tomorrow, next week, and eventually, never really comes, and it is very easy to find yourself in a situation where you have waited a little too long to accomplish the tasks that you needed to accomplish. Fortunately, if you have just looked at the date on this post or looked up at your calendar and realized that you are in one of those situations right now, there’s no need to panic. I’ve got you covered.

First, if you remembered to get a gift, but you’re desperately looking for some way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your mystery-obsessed Valentine, I have the event for you. The All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Braintree, MA is hosting a chocolate-themed murder mystery at 7:00 P.M. tomorrow (Saturday, February 15, 2014) entitled “A Chocolate Affair.” This event will allow you and your Valentine to help solve a murder mystery involving a series of chocolaty characters, including BonBon Goodbar, Mayor P.T. Butterfingers, Melky Way, Mr. and Mrs. Reese, Truffles Lindt, Zagnut Goodbar, and more. Best of all, you will be able to sample a wide assortment of chocolates while you attempt to figure out who did it. For more information on A Chocolate Affair and/or to order tickets, please visit the All Souls Braintree Blog.

Secondly, if you totally forgot about Valentine’s Day and you’re desperately looking for some way to show your chocolate-loving Valentine that you care, I would highly recommend that you take a trip to Salem this weekend. This is because Salem’s So Sweet Chocolate & Ice Sculpture Festival, which began last weekend, runs until this Sunday (February 16, 2014.) This festival will allow you and your Valentine to view a number of carefully crafted ice sculptures as you wander the streets of Salem making your way from one chocolate shop to the next. In fact, if you didn’t remember to get your Valentine a gift, you may come across a number of chocolaty delights, jewelry, and other gift ideas in the small shops throughout the city. For more information on the festival, please visit the Salem Chamber of Commerce’s event page.

Photo credit: JD Hancock / Foter / CC BY

Death by Chocolate? Hardly.

I've heard of death by chocolate, but I don't think this is what people usually mean. — I’ve heard of death by chocolate, but somehow I don’t think this is what people usually mean.

It doesn’t matter whether it is hot, cold, or somewhere in between, chocolate is one of the most popular foods available. However, did you know that chocolate doesn’t only taste good, but is also good for you? In fact, studies have shown that chocolate can help alleviate depression and stress, improve brain function, lower your blood pressure, reduce your risk of developing diabetes, reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke, and improve the overall functioning of your body in a number of other ways. As a result, it’s really no surprise that chocolate is so hard to pass up, and if you’re looking for a way to get your chocolate fix, there’s no better time to find some than now.

The first place that you should look if you’re in need of a chocolate fix is Old Town Trolley Tours. This is because Old Town Trolley Tours offers a tour of the top chocolate shops in the Boston area every Saturday from now until April 12th. This tour, which is known as the Boston Chocolate Tour, will allow you to learn all about chocolate from an actual chef while you travel to the Top of the Hub, the Omni Parker House Hotel, and the Langham Hotel’s Café Fleur to sample the best chocolate desserts they have to offer. Now, with a price tag of $75 a person, the Boston Chocolate Tour may seem a little on the pricey side. However, it is important to remember that the tour includes an all-you-can-eat chocolate buffet at the Langham Hotel’s Café Fleur, which may account for a large portion of the $75 fee. The tour also includes samples from each of the places you stop and samples while you travel courtesy of Beacon Hill Chocolates. For more information on the Boston Chocolate Tour, please visit the Old Town Trolley Tours website.

The second place that you should look if you’re desperately seeking chocolate this weekend is Harvard Square. This is because the annual Harvard Square Chocolate Festival, which is also known as the Taste of Chocolate Festival, runs from today at 11:30 A.M. to Sunday at 12:30 P.M. This festival will give you the opportunity to sample and/or purchase a variety of heavily discounted chocolates and chocolate-themed items while you listen to music, learn more about chocolate at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, and enjoy everything else that Harvard Square has to offer. For more information on the Harvard Square Chocolate Festival, please visit the Official Harvard Square website.

Finally, if you prefer your chocolate in cookie form, you may want to find a local Girl Scout. Girl Scout cookies are on sale from now until the end of February in most places, so it is the perfect time to stock up on those Thin Mints.

Photo credit: JD Hancock / Foter.com / CC BY

Friday Fun: White Wedding

As I mentioned a couple of months ago, planning a wedding can be a challenge in the physical, mental, and financial sense. In fact, there are usually pounds to be shed, family members to be appeased, venues to be chosen, and a plethora of other things with which the average bride and groom has to contend. However, if you’re in the middle of planning your wedding and you’re looking for a way to find some of the things that you need to make sure that the day to goes off without a hitch, there are two bridal events this weekend that are sure to make the whole process a lot easier (and, with any luck, a lot cheaper.)

First, Pat Hoey Productions is hosting the Boston Home Show & Bridal Expo at the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal in Boston tomorrow (November 16, 2013) from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. and Sunday (November 17, 2013) from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. This trade fair features representatives from bakeries, chocolate companies, travel planners and resorts, wedding venues, and everything else that you will need to plan your wedding or your honeymoon. Best of all, this fair also features a home show that will allow you and your soon-to-be spouse to see all of the appliances, furniture, and other accessories that you may need to outfit your new home. For more information on the Boston Home Show & Bridal Expo, please visit the Boston Home Show website.

Secondly, if you’re closer to NH than you are to Boston (or you really just don’t like driving into the city), the Renaissance Golf Club is hosting the New England Bridal Affair on Sunday (November 17, 2013) from 12:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. This wedding showcase features caterers, DJs, honeymoon and wedding destination specialists, photographers, and a whole lot more. For more information, please visit the New England Bridal Affair website.

Photo credit: Robb North / Foter.com / CC BY

Friday Fun: Avoiding the Winter Blues

Is the cold weather really getting to you? Are you already having one of those years where you’re thinking “One month down, eleven more to go”? Well, if you are having one of those years where nothing seems to be going right or you’re just sick and tired of the cold weather, you may be looking for a way to cheer yourself up. Luckily, coming up with a good way to lift yourself out of the winter blues can be easier than you might think during the month of February. This is because the stuff that melts in your mouth, your hands, and quite frankly everywhere else during the summer is pretty easy to find during this time of year.

Of course, I’m talking about chocolate, and more specifically about the chocolate festivals that typically occur throughout the continental United States (and a number of other countries as well) around the day that everyone’s loves to love, or in some cases dread, Valentine’s Day. In fact, chocolate festivals are held in many areas throughout the world during this time of year, and there’s a pretty good chance that you will be able to find a festival in your local area at some point this month. With the goal of helping you find some chocolate in mind, here are a few of the major festivals in the continental United States over the next couple of weeks:

1. The Enumclaw Wine and Chocolate Festival takes place from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. today (Friday, February 1st) and from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday, February 2nd) at the Expo Center in Enumclaw, WA. This festival features a wide selection of wine, chocolate, cars that the average person would never be able to afford, and entertainment ranging from aerialists to musical performers. For more information, visit the festival’s website.

2. The Firehouse Art Center Chocolate Festival takes place at the Norman Firehouse Art Center in Norman, OK on February 2nd from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This festival has won a number of awards and features an enormous assortment of chocolates from a variety of vendors and free art-related activities for children. For more information, visit the City of Norman website or the Norman Firehouse Art Center website.

3. The Salem So Sweet Chocolate Festival takes place in Salem, MA from Friday, February 8th to Friday, February 15th. This festival not only features the chocolate that you would typically expect from a chocolate festival, but also includes wine tastings and another thing that will certainly melt in higher temperatures – ice sculptures. For more information, visit the Salem Chamber of Commerce’s website or the Salem Haunted Happenings Website.

Please Note: The chocolate sampling and the wine tastings for the Salem So Sweet Chocolate Festival, which were originally scheduled for today, have been moved to Friday, February 15th (the day after Valentine’s Day) due to the blizzard.