Eleven Amherst businesses accepted the invitation to participate in the Chocolate Festival’s passport program. Festival goers will receive a passport as they enter the festival. They will be encouraged to take a break from festival activities (and chocolate overload!) to explore downtown Amherst. Once they have visited five of the eleven businesses and gotten their passports stamped, they can return their stamped passports to the Jensen Center to enter prize drawings for incredible edibles.
Participating businesses include: Angelina’s Salon, Whole Health Centre, Harvest Moon Bakery, Stepping Stone Salon and Day Spa, Amherst Family Foods, Wisconsin Wool Exchange, OK Hardware, Prism Real Estate, Ambrosia’s Pub & Grill, Tomorrow River Gallery and Gifts, and MorningStar Bistro.
The passport idea was developed as a response to the conditions of the Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) grant awarded to the Festival by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. The purpose of the JEM grant is to increase attendance to the event, THEREBY, increasing tourism in the community. In order to qualify for another JEM grant in 2010, the Festival must demonstrate its impact on tourism in the local community.
So please, encourage your out-of-town friends and family to join you in participating in the Festival and its passport program. It will create a win-win opportunity for the Jensen Center and beautiful downtown Amherst!
