OHIOVILLE — Chocolate lovers of all ages will feel as excited as kids in a candy store this Sunday at Seven Oaks Country Club.
The 17th annual A Chocolate Sunday fundraiser, from 2 to 5 p.m., will provide guests with lots and lots of chocolate, plus saltier delicacies, too.
Those who buy a $25 ticket, which benefits McGuire Memorial Home, will stroll through banquet rooms inside the country club, where about 30 vendors will be stationed and ready to hand out samples.
"We're going to have ice cream and fudge, cookies and cake," Mary Wood, co-president of the Marion Gordon Auxiliary for McGuire Memorial Home, said. "There will be some restaurants that donate samples."
Greg Powell, the executive chef at Seven Oaks, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, always creates fancy and popular desserts for the event, such as chocolate cannoli, pecan diamonds, chocolate cheesecake with fresh berries and ginormous chocolate chip cookies.
Savvy Chocolate Sunday visitors bring an aluminum foil tray, cardboard lid or something similar to hold all the samples they collect, before they plop down at a table to dig in.
Though event organizers also provide containers for take-home convenience, figuring that after 15 to 20 on-site samplings, even chocolate fanatics reach their limit.
Each guest receives a list with individual blocks to be checked off after they sample a vendor's product.
In addition, beauty products, jewelry and clothing will be displayed, with artwork and decorative items created by McGuire Memorial clients available for purchase.
There also will be an extensive auction of gift baskets filled with floral arrangements, clothing, decorations, gift certificates and, new this year, supplies to make your own Moscow Mule cocktails.
This year's vendor list includes Anderson's Candies, Barb's Biscotti, Beaver Bagel, Beaver County Fruit Co., Bruster's, Bunnies by Peggy, Chippewa Giant Eagle, Chocolate Boutique, Don's Deli, Gourmet Chocolate Lady, Grand Valley Inn, Heirloom, Hunter Brothers Coffee, Kara Vita, Littell Fudge, One Smart Cookie, Pappy Rick's Kettle Korn, Pizza Joe's, Radici, Rosalind Candy Castle, Seven Oaks Country Club, Sincerely Yogurt, Soup-Herb Sproutz, Tastefully Simple, the Butcher and the Baker, the Ultimate Pastry Shop, Thursday's, Vic's Oven, Waffles INCaffeinated and Wolfe's Shoes and Clothing.
Tickets for A Chocolate Sunday can be purchased by calling Rosemary at 412-973-8290 or LouAnn at 412-638-0204.
All proceeds go to McGuire Memorial Home, a co-sponsored ministry of the Felician Sisters of North America and the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese, providing comprehensive services to more than 300 children and adults with mental and physical disabilities that frequently include complex medical conditions.