Writer / Suzanne Huntzinger
Rich, creamy, melty, with almonds or plain, in milk, cookies or cake, any way and every way you like it. Come and enjoy an endless amount of it at the first annual Chocolate Extravaganza.
The brand new spectacular event venue, The Barn at Bay Horse Inn, plays host to this fest of all things chocolate, Saturday, December 3, 2016. In the spirit of Christmas and gift giving, 38 vendors will also be on hand featuring a plethora of items for sale. Choose from kitchen items, home decorating items, clothing, jewelry, purses, skincare, art and so much more.
Haven Women’s Ministry and Big Life Ministries will share the event’s proceeds. Biglife, a global Christian prayer and outreach organization, will be using their funds for Bibles for the Congo, a program that provides bibles to the faithful in the distressed area. Haven will be using the funds to help their programs for women in need.
The brilliant idea for this chocolate and shopping bonanza was birthed by a special group of women in the community who met regularly to pray for each other and their families. Along the way, one of the ladies in the group, Sherrie Buchanan, a beloved teacher at Center Grove, became ill with cancer. The group prayed for Buchanan throughout her illness. But her disease progressed, and she knew she was losing the battle. Never faltering to focus on the good of the group, Sherrie asked the group to grant her one wish; She wanted the ladies to always remain friends. The ladies granted her wish, and came together to put on Sherrie’s Ride, a 10-mile bicycle ride, to raise funds for the Sherrie Buchanan Memorial Teacher Grant. The event was tremendously successful, and they raised $2,400.
This year, the ladies have turned their mission of seeing God’s love and hope shared with others in to the mission for the Chocolate Extravaganza. Since April, the ladies have been gradually putting the pieces together to make this first annual Chocolate Extravaganza happen. Marcia Duke, chair for the event, says, “We feel very blessed that so many within our community share our vision. The Center Grove Community is filled with many great people who love helping.”
The doors to the Chocolate Extravaganza open at 10 a.m., and the event concludes at 1 p.m. Come early and shop til you drop! Plenty of chocolate will be flowing from vendors including Texas Roadhouse, MBP Catering, The New Old-Standard Baking Company, Heavenly Sweets, and more. For more information on Haven or how you can help, go to www.havenwomensministry.org.
See you there!
