Lititz Chocolate Walk 2022
Chocolate lovers, your day is almost here!
On Saturday, October 8, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 2,000 walkers are expected to gather in Lititz to take part in a beloved annual tradition – the Lititz Chocolate Walk.
“For 21 years, walkers have come to Lititz to enjoy chocolate in many forms,” explained Mark Freeman, founder, and co-chair of the Lititz Chocolate Walk. “Chocolate is an integral part of the history of our town. The Lititz Chocolate Walk allows for a celebration of this history.”
Throughout the town of Lititz, more than 25 businesses will open their doors to the chocolate walk, offering samples of artisanal chocolate treats to those who have purchased an event ticket. This year, participants will stop at Blackworth Live Fire Grill, Tomato Pie Cafe, Bunyaad Marketplace, and Zest!, as well as many other local shops, restaurants, businesses, and community spaces.
Each year, all proceeds from ticket sales support children-focused charities working in the Lancaster County region.
“In November 1999, we sat at a Kiwanis Club meeting discussing fundraising ideas. At that meeting, we decided to pursue a chocolate festival,” Freeman explained. “Over the next year, we engaged fundraising experts and local marketing teams to brainstorm what a chocolate festival might look like in Lititz. We determined that we did not want to have a big room with a lot of people.”
He continued, “Instead, we wanted participants to be able to explore downtown Lititz. After the first year, we realized the benefit to the retailers, in addition to the money raised. This was really a ‘win’ for everyone involved, and it continues to be a success because of the benefits to all participants.”
“First and foremost, the Lititz Chocolate Walk is a fundraiser which has raised close to $1 million for Kiwanis children charities since its inception,” Freeman shared. “But it is also a very special day for our walkers, who get to enjoy a pleasant day with chocolate, friends, and exploring Lititz.”
This year, our friends from the Gifts That Give Hope Alternative Gift Fair (to be held on Sunday, December 11, 2022, at the Lancaster Farm & Home Center) will be passing out delicious Fair Trade chocolate outside of the Zum Anker Alley Shoppes.
“The Gift Fair loves to be part of the Chocolate Walk,” Jennifer Oehme Knepper, organizer of the Lancaster Gifts That Give Hope Alternative Gift Fair, said. “Mark Freeman, who runs the Chocolate Walk, is such a great friend of Gifts That Give Hope and is a fellow non-profit enthusiast who uses the Chocolate Walk as a force for good in the community. We just love being part of it.”
The Chocolate Walk is particularly special to the Gifts That Give team, as the walk takes place during October each year — also known as Fair Trade Month, which “raises awareness about the importance of the fair trade movement to our global economy and promotes buying from businesses that are committed to fair trade in place of those which may harm the environment, the economy, communities, and individuals,” according to the Fair Trade Federation.
“We give out samples of Fair Trade chocolate, usually from Equal Exchange or Divine Chocolate,” Knepper shared. “We like to get people thinking about where their chocolate is coming from and give them a little teaser of what they can look forward to at the Gift Fair in December, where you will be able to purchase a variety of Fair Trade chocolate and other items that are ethically-sourced.”
Whether you’re an annual participant, or it’s your very first time at the Chocolate Walk, what better way to spend a beautiful fall day in downtown Lititz than sampling artisanal chocolate treats while supporting a good cause?
“Every year, I enjoy seeing the smiles on the day of the Walk,” Freeman said. “We have many walkers who make this an annual event with family or friends, but we also have many others who are doing the Walk for the first time and getting to enjoy the day.”
For more information on the 2022 event, visit www.lititzchocolatewalk.com
By: Maddy Pontz
