History of the Chocolate Festival

A Tradition Begins

Founded in 1987, the Chocolate Festival began through the efforts of a grass-roots Advisory Board with a desire to provide Cache Valley residents with affordable reproductive health care and educational programs through Planned Parenthood of Utah. This was a time when many local non-profits were getting on their feet, and all were involved in fundraising efforts. One of the Logan PPAU Advisory Board members, Mary Piette, insisted on using chocolate as a hook for Planned Parenthood, certain it would be the best way to attract large audiences and supporters. After convincing the rest of the local Advisory Board, Piette and the others settled on Whittier Community Center as the first festival site and set the date to coincide with Valentine’s Day.

Working with PPAU staff and volunteers, they then tackled event logistics. While everything came together with relative ease, the questions remained: would it work? Would enough people make and donate chocolate dessert items to feed the crowd? Would there even be a crowd?

The answer was a resounding yes. People packed the Whittier Center on that February day in 1987, with Val Grant performing masterfully as the official auctioneer of the event, and fortunately there was just enough chocolate to keep everyone happy.

And so it continues

The Planned Parenthood Chocolate Festival quickly became one of the most popular fundraising events in Cache Valley. Each year the Festival is skillfully planned and executed by an enthusiastic committee of local Planned Parenthood supporters and volunteers. Entrants spend time, money, and energy making chocolates of all kinds and baking cakes, cookies, brownies, and other desserts for the tasting samples. Local businesses make non-dessert donations for a silent auction, with community residents bidding on the donated items. Live bands take to the stage while festival-goers vote for their favorite chocolate entry.

Satisfied with chocolate and great spirit, later in the evening, everyone gathers in the auction room with hopes of bringing home their favorite desserts. After faithfully and energetically serving as the auctioneer for twenty years, Val Grant handed the torch to Geno Schupp, who continues to entice the crowd to generous levels of bidding.

While the chocolate and auctions provide a fun, festive evening every February, the real success is that every year the Chocolate Festival raises thousands of dollars for an important cause and members of the Cache Valley community continue to receive high quality, low-cost reproductive healthcare, education and advocacy for reproductive rights