Barbara Sherman, 73, of south Fort Myers, watches on as Bonefish Grill bartender Christine Dennis, 24, of south Fort Myers, pours a drink at the Chocolate & Spirits Festival at Bell Tower Shops.
Chocolate had south Fort Myers buzzing at the Bell Tower Shops recently as support for the Lee County Library System poured in from sweet-toothed donors.
Locals and shoppers at the mall participated in a Chocolate & Spirits Festival that raised $3,367.86 to support the library's Reading Festival and had a chance to taste sweet treats from area restaurants.
"I saw the posters at the library and it seemed like a good thing to support," said Barbara Sherman, 73, of south Fort Myers. "I go to the library twice a month and check out books and they let you keep them for a month."
Participants purchased tickets for $1 and used them to taste chocolate-covered pretzels, shakes, brownies and cherries.
"It's a great way to get your name out there and it's for a good cause," said Tammy Karau, the owner of Kilwin's Gulf Coast Town Center, who said she garnered business from attending the event last year. She was one of 11 vendors that participated. "It's like killing two birds with one stone."
The library system was hoping that the money collected would help cover the festival that is scheduled for March 15, 2008 in Fort Myers.
"I've been to several libraries in Lee County and they are great," said Anne Van Aller, 75, of Cape Coral. She drove down for the festival because she wanted to taste the brownie, cheesecake and Friday's new mint moose. "Everything is so good and it's nice to support the library."
Karen Sloan, the development specialist for the library system, was happy with the community's willingness to help.
"It's always a great success for us and it's particularly important to raise money for the Reading Festival because of the budget cuts," said Sloan, adding that the event is one of the most attended because it involves chocolate. "It's the chocolate! It really draws people in and people remember this one."
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