Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance
Hosts 8th Annual Chocolate Fest Saturday, Feb. 10-Sunday, Feb. 11, 10 am – 4 pm
Release Date: 01/26/07
Few people realize that the world’s favorite sweet treat, chocolate, comes from bitter seeds found within the fruiting pods of a tropical tree. Each year the Garfield Park Conservatory celebrates the origins of chocolate with a Chocolate Festival that is not only educational, but yummy too.
The 8thAnnual Chocolate Festival will take place at the Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central Park Ave., Saturday, Feb. 10, through Sunday, Feb. 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.There is a suggested donation of $1 for entry.
Last year, approximately 10,000 peopleattended this two-day chocolate extravaganza, which happens each year on the weekend before Valentine’s Day.
"The Chicago Park District once again appreciates the opportunity to work closely with the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance to produce an event for the community that educates and entertains," said Timothy J. Mitchell, the general superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District. “The Annual Chocolate Fest not only gives Chicagoans the chance to sample a variety of chocolate, it gives them the option to learn about the plant origins of this favorite food.”
Visitors will have the fortune to sample free chocolate from major chocolate candy makers. The weekend will include fun displays, exhibits, workshops and children’s activities, and opportunities to sample the favorite tasty treat.
Although both theLincoln Park Conservatory and theGarfield Park Conservatory have fruiting cacao trees, Garfield’s Chocolate Festival features themost productive fruiting cacao trees in Chicago. These mature trees produce a large crop of football-shaped pods. Each pod, filled with 20 to 30 seeds apiece, can make a single 1oz. chocolate bar.
Here are some activities that will take place at this year’s Chocolate Festival:
Free Chocolate and Confection Samplesand Chocolate Sale– Indulge in the delicious tastes of Chicago’s finest chocolate companies. Participants will include Blommer Chocolate, Fannie May Candies, Stivers Coffee, Godiva Chocolate, Ghirardelli Chocolate, Moonstruck Chocolate Café, Divine Chocolate, Translucent Chocolates and Whole Foods Market.
Candy Evolution Exhibit– Come visit this hands-on education site in the Children’s Garden to find out the surprising answer to the age old question- Does candy grow on trees? Friendly volunteers will be on site to help trace the candy bar back to its plant roots.Learn how the fruit of the chocolate tree becomes a square of chocolate bar, discover that tree bark, tree sap, and grass juice are the three main ingredients of cinnamon gum.
Chocolate Education Stations– Locate each of these stations throughout the conservatory, and learn up close and personal how chocolate goes from bean to bar.Station One: Learn that chocolate really does grow on trees, and get a glimpse of the small white blossoms that will eventually turn into a chocolate pod.
- Station Two:Peek inside a chocolate pod to see the special chocolate beans. These “beans” are really seeds, and can either be planted and grown into another chocolate tree, or harvested and fermented to make chocolate.
- Station Three:Uncover the final mystery of how a chocolate bean is shelled, broken up into two different parts (cocoa butter and cocoa powder), and then mixed back together in different amounts with sugar to become a chocolate bar.
- Bean to Bar Display in the Children’s Garden– Journey through the history of chocolate and learn about the evolution of the cocoa bean from its early use as currency, to its lofty status as the “food of the gods.”
- Design Your OwnCandyBarWrapper in the Children’s Garden– Do you judge a candy bar by its wrapper? Get a chance to answer this question by creating your own candy bar design at this fun pretend activity station in the Children’s Garden Discovery Area, presented by the Chicago Children’s Museum.
- Kids Valentine Card Making– All are invited to enjoy the yearly Chocolate Fest tradition of making your favorite people a special token of love. Paper hearts, doilies, crayons, and more will be provided free of charge. Come explore your creative caring side!
- The Kohl McCormick StoryBus–Make sure to visit this 37-foot Winnebago that’s been transformed into a children’s literacy museum on wheels!
- Aztec Cocoa Tasting & Chocolate Exhibit (FieldMuseum)- Experience chocolate as an ancient spicy drink.
The Garfield Park Conservatory is open every day of the year from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Thursdays until 8 p.m. Admission to the conservatory and parking is free. For more information, call (773) 638-1766.
The Garfield Park Conservatory is owned and managed by the Chicago Park District. The Chocolate Fest is a program of the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance. The Allianceis a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the funding and development of programs and visitor services at the Conservatory.
Editor’s Note: Photos available upon request.
- Contact: Zvezdana Kubat
- Contact Phone: 773.638.1766
- Publication Date: 01/25/07