By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Downtown Bowling Green was thick with chocolate fans and fiends on Saturday afternoon.
More than 350 sweet seekers signed up for the Charity Chocolate Crawl hosted by United Way of Greater Toledo. And 25 downtown shops and community organizations provided the chocolate treats – everything from freshly baked brownies to chocolate cake shots to wash them down.
Each participant was given a chocolate passport to check off their stops along the way.
The experienced chocolate crawlers came prepared, packing plastic food containers with tight sealing lids.
“We learned the last time,” there are just too many chocolate goodies to eat as you go, said Michelle Thomas.
So this year, Thomas, Barb Sworden and her daughter, Carly Sworden, all of Toledo, came armed with plastic containers for their delicacies. Barb Sworden allowed a peek at the eclair, s’more parfait, and more treats in her sealed container.
Thomas pointed out that this year Sworden was passing on the tasty tradition to her daughter.
“She’s dragging the next generation,” Thomas said.
But Carly Sworden didn’t seem to mind. She admitted to snacking along the route, but just a little. “I’ve been saving most of mine,” she said.
Experienced chocolate crawlers know that they either need to devour their favorite items while downtown, or hide them when they get home.
“I might share a little bit – but not the good stuff,” Thomas said.
As for Barb Sworden, her chocolate may get shared with family, “but not intentionally,” she said, smiling.
The goal of the United Way event is to raise money for its Wood County community partners. But it also gets people into shops they haven’t visited before.
“I love going into all the different stores. We love Bowling Green,” Thomas said.
The sidewalk traffic downtown was fast and focused as chocolate fans went from store to store. In the first hour of the event, volunteers at Novel Blends had already handed out more than 100 buckeyes on behalf of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Wood County. Not much later, Juniper was baking up another batch of brownies after giving away about 200.
Many of the chocoholics who signed up for the charity crawl showed up at the 1 p.m. start time to get their bright blue goodie bags and their passports for checking off the shops along the way.
Near the front of the line were Alex and Richard Coe, from Holland, Ohio. This was their fourth chocolate crawl in Bowling Green, and though they hadn’t encountered shortages in the past, they didn’t want to take any chances.
Newcomers to the crawl were Bruce Rader and David Bousonville, both from McComb. Rader, who works in Bowling Green, confessed to liking all chocolate. Bousonville, on the other hand, said he is partial to milk and white chocolate – so Rader would likely be taking home double on the dark chocolate delicacies.
“I’m picky,” Bousonville said.
The Smolenski family, from Genoa, also said their personal preferences would cut down on any arguments over the chocolates. Marty’s favorite included anything with almonds, Jen was sweet on dark chocolate, and son Tyler fancied milk chocolate.
The chocolate stop at Ace Hardware was perfect for them since volunteers from Children’s Resource Center offered “mood” chocolate bars – labeled for those who felt happy, grumpy or silly, with a variety of chocolate types.
On the other side of Main Street, Mary Biller, of Wayne, and her mother-in-law Pam Biller, of Perrysburg, were making their way through their passport of chocolate stops.
Mary Biller considered volunteering for the event, but her love of chocolate won out.
“I heard about it last year and didn’t get to come,” she said. She thought carefully about who she wanted to share the experience with – and decided her mother-in-law would be a good partner for the crawl.
“She’d be a great person to walk with me without complaining about walking,” Mary Biller said.
Pam Biller willingly took on the chocolate challenge.
“I can walk as long as there’s a treat ahead,” she said.
The women showed some of their most prized pieces – including a full-size chocolate bar from Grounds for Thought, and a packet of three chocolates (caramel, hot fudge, and a buckeye) from For Keeps.
“Everybody loves a buckeye,” Mary Biller said.
Over at Coyote Beads, Kaitlyn Craft and Michael Hillis, both of Toledo, had already checked off seven shops on their passport.
“We wanted to try and beat most of the crowds,” Craft said. “I love chocolate, and it’s nice to see the downtown of Bowling Green.”
Hillis said he is also crazy for chocolate. “Any chocolate is good with me – and if it’s got peanut butter it’s even better.”
The couple’s favorite stop so far had been the Clay Pot, which was serving eclairs and chocolate cake shots.
The shot was also a hit with Terri Anderson, of Bowling Green, who professed a love for chocolate. And adding a little alcohol didn’t hurt, said another member of her charity crawl group.
Next door at Eden Fashion Boutique, employee Aubrey Dean said the crowds just kept coming.
“The door is open and close, open and close – it hasn’t stopped,” she said, as she handed out Ferrero Rocher chocolates with hazelnuts.
Newbies Keri Niceley and Kim Terrell joined the crawl with Walter Meneses, who had one year under his belt.
Asked if they were fans of chocolate, Niceley responded, “Who isn’t?” And Terrell said it was a great way to spend her birthday. Meneses said he was on a chocolate mission for his wife.
“My wife loves chocolate,” though he confessed that a few pieces may be missing by time he gets home.
Amanda Ark, from Bowling Green, recalled the first charity chocolate crawl in Bowling Green, when participants were given chocolate scented T-shirts. Though the treats were tempting, Ark said she would probably do any type of charity crawl to support United Way.
Leo and Joanne Navin, of Bowling Green, agreed they were participating to support United Way, visit downtown shops, and see friends.
And if they consumed a lot of calories, at least it would balance out.
“We got a lot of steps in,” Leo Navin said with a smile.
