Chocolate, Red Hats, Cars & Easter Bunny at AWARD WINNING "Pride of Kentucky"
17th Annual Chocolate Festival

2004 Chocolate Festival Schedule

By: Phyllis Helphenstine 

Chocolate for everyone!  Red Hats for ladies!  Cars for men!  The Easter Bunny and Egg Hunts for children!  All these and so much more make the 17th Annual Chocolate in Washington, KY, an event for all.  Our desire for chocolate shows no sign of diminishing after Valentine's Day, so viola, the Easter Basket with lots and lots of chocolate.  And the 17th annual Chocolate Festival on April 3-4, always the weekend prior to Easter, is the perfect time to "Fill You Easter Baskets".  Hours are from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. both days and admission is FREE.  "Into each  life some rain must fall", but some chocolate must fall also.  As any Chocoholic can verify, a day without Chocolate is a day you haven't really lived, therefore, Chocolate cravings should not be denied as recognized by chocolate lovers everywhere.  In the 1700s village shops, museums and other historic buildings you will once again get that big chocolate flavor from their various offerings that you experience each year during this festival.  Chocolate is celebrated with homemade Chocolate fudge, Chocolate Turtle Cheese Cake, Amaretto Cheese Cake, Chocolate dipped fruit, Chocolate Popcorn, Chocolate dipped cream eggs, Chocolate "chips", Chocolate dipped pretzels, Chocolate covered rice crispy bars, Chocolate Dipped Jelly Beans, Sugar Free Cream Eggs, Sugar free turtles, Chocolate Carmel Crunches, Double Chocolate Oreos, Chocolate Dipped apricots, Dipped Strawberries, Dipped Pineapple, Dipped Bananas, Chocolate Brownies, "Chocolate Chips", and Chocolate suckers - and this is all waiting for you in just one shop!  As you walk the flagstone sidewalks where Simon Kenton, his good friend Daniel Boone, and Albert Sidney Johnston, the famous Confederate General, all trod, you are stepping back into the 18th Century with over 218 years of history, and 45 buildings most built between 1785 and 1812.  Tasting along the way, it is hard to decide your favorite chocolate treat.  AWARD WINNING "Pride of Kentucky" was a distinction won by the Chocolate Festival.  The village of Washington, KY, (now part of Maysville), welcomes spring each year with this event, which is sponsored by the Historic Washington Shopkeepers Association, and the Old Washington special Events Committee. 

First time ever is "The Red Hat Trunk Show" both Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 p.m.  Raffle tickets are already on sale at only $1.00 which will win some luck lady a one-of-a-kind red hat with purple accents, red bag, necklace and purple lace cover-up.  Featured at the show will be the mother/daughter duo from Kentucky who design heirloom quality, but affordable hats, cameos, vintage and contemporary styled and themed jewelry, tote bags, clothing and other fashion accessories.  The first 50 ladies who make a purchase will receive a free gift!  They also have hats for Red hatters, Easter, Church and the Derby.

Another first for this festival will be a Cruise In on Saturday from 12 noon to 4 p.m. by Let's Cruise Entertainment and Cruise with Gayle McCord with games for children such as the Chicken Dance, Twist, Limbo, Hokey Pokey and Hoola Hoops with prizes.  Adult games include Push Rod Contest, Fan Belt Toss & Twist also with prizes.  The first 50 vehicles receive dash plates.  There will be a 50/50 raffle and drawings for prizes.  All vehicles welcome.

New for this festival also are Horse-drawn carriage rides and a "Petting-Zoo" from "R" Farms here in Mason County.  Both of these will be from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. both days.

Chocolates include many kinds of fudge, Marilyn Campbell's family recipes for hand dipped chocolates, Easter Eggs, suckers, molded rabbits, the Younger Women's cookies on a stick, Lisa Dyer and her mother's chocolates in the 1790 Row House Mall, and all the many chocolates found in the permanent shops  for your Easter Baskets.  Other foods the street vendors will have include: Fried Chocolate Cookies, Chocolate Éclairs, Fried candy bars & Twinkies, 1000 proof Bourbon Cookies, Rib eyes, Italian sausage, pork barbeque, Craw fish, sausage, beans & rice, chili, roasted corn, loaded baked potatoes, loaded sweet potatoes, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, fresh cut fries, fruit filled puff pastry, banana & blueberry muffins, elephant ears, New Orleans style Beignets, pecan & cinnamon rolls, funnel cakes, snow cones and cotton candy, sundaes, ice cream, smoothies, Hot chocolate, drinks in fresh cut coconuts, cappuccino, coffee, tea and soft drinks.  And country breakfast.

Street vendors will have Dulcimers, musical instruments, Bridal items, make up and skin care, healthy A8r purifiers & water filters, Cellular One Services & Accessories, Bramel's Hickory Hill Nursery with flowers, plants & garden items, along with the craft and antique vendors.  Spaces for this festival are only $35 for each 16 foot space for food vendors and $25 for all others.  Everyone wishing to participate call 606-759-7423 or E-mail: phyllis@maysvilleky.net 

In addition Old Main Street in Washington is lined with antique, craft and specialty shops - framing, a Dollhouse Shop, a Lamp Shop with antique lamp restoration and rewiring, and one shop alone that specializes in full size carousel horses, antique lusters and the largest selection of Fiesta in the area and a tavern restaurant.

There are "Hourly Drawings" for chocolate prizes in some shops and in many shops drawings for door prizes.  some of the shops have different "Guess the Number of Chocolates" in the jar or other containers.  Other shops put candy in each bag, give random gifts with purchases and give "Kisses".  One shop will have Chocolate Coffee, another Buckeyes, and still another Chocolate cream candy, (a Mason County delicacy).  

Everyone is invited to submit their favorite CHOCOLATE fudge recipe with 6 pieces of their homemade fudge for the annual Chocolate Fudge Contest.  Entries should be brought to Phyllis' Antique Lamp Shop by 1:00 p.m. Sunday.  No entries will be accepted without the recipe. Every entrant will receive a certificate for a Brownie Fix and the winner will receive a $50.00 dinner for two - all from de Sha’s of Mayville.  Call (606) 759-7305 for more information.

More about the FUDGE - as rivers of sweet, dark chocolate flow throughout the village streets there may be found a variety of fudges to please even the most discerning chocoholic, from the true connoisseur who shuns everything but bittersweet.  For the chocolate lover who will embrace chocolate in any form to those in the middle who love the gentleness and variety of milk chocolate.                                                                                                                

Again both days on the hour and half-hour starting at 1:00 p.m. through 4:00 p.m. will be the popular "Chocolate Cake Walk".  Chocolate cakes for this event are donated by the Shopkeepers and others interested in Old Washington and the festival.  The "Easter Bonnet Contest" sponsored by the Blue Moon will be Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.  The Easter Bunny will be here both days from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.  The Younger Woman's Club will have Easter Egg Hunts for children Sunday afternoon on the lawn of "The Harriett Beecher Stowe Slavery to Freedom Museum". 

Every visitor should go first to the Visitor's Center, housed in an original 1790 log cabin, one of the 119 such cabins in Washington in 1790.  Four of these cabins are included in one of the tours from the visitors' center.  At the Visitors' Center  one may view the video, visit with one of the costumed tour guides in long dresses, white aprons and dust caps, and browse through many history books, many of which are for sale.   The village offers a tempting destination for city dwellers seeking an afternoon or weekend's change of pace - a nice place to relax.

 Washington gives pleasures to both adults and children, with over 1,000 school children taking advantage of the "Log Cabin Learning" field trip each May.  Every now and then history meets today's needs to produce an ambiance so distinctive and compelling as Washington.  In addition to its other tours inside the village, Washington is on the "Covered Bridge Tour" and the "Underground Railroad Tour".  The Marshall Key house, ca 1807, was where Harriet Beecher Stowe, while visiting  in 1833, witnessed a slave auction on the old courthouse lawn that inspired her to write Uncle Tom's Cabin.  This house is now the HARRIET BEECHER STOWE SLAVERY TO FREEDOM MUSEUM.  

Washington’s newest museum is the THE CARRIAGE MUSEUM with high quality, hand crafted, horse drawn carriages, buggies and other vehicles has added many new carriages and other items not shown on our web site: www.washingtonky.com   This museum has just been awarded the title and a framed award certificate as one of the Best Museums for 2004!  Some of these include: Spindle-Back, Side Spring, 2-Seater and other Runabouts, Racers, Mail Wagon, ad Doctors Buggy, a Drop Front Phaeton, a Governess Cart, a 4-Passenger open top carriage, Farm wagon, Sleighs, a Breaking Cart, a 4-Passenger open top wagon, and a Surry with fringe-on-the-top.  This is a must see for young and old alike.  Admission to the Carriage Museum is only $1.00 and one hundred percent of that goes to the Alzheimer’s Foundation. 

Washington is nestled, 4 miles south of the banks of the Ohio River and Maysville, 50 miles northeast of Lexington, KY, 50 miles west of Portsmouth, Ohio, 90 miles west of Huntington, WV and 51 miles east of Cincinnati, Oh, (take the Wilder Exit #77 off I-275 onto Route #9 - also known as the AA Highway), then turn right at the light by Wendy's onto US 68, turn left at the second light up into Old Washington..  Washington is 1 mile south of the AA Highway on US 68.  Plan your CHOCOLATE GETAWAY this weekend in Washington.  You will be glad you did!  For more information on the Chocolate Festival or to set up phone: (606)-759-7423 or  E-mail: phyllis@maysvilleky.net