As part of the Hartville Chocolate Factory’s celebration of 40 years in business, on Friday, April 3, they conducted a free raffle to give away a fresh, delicious, beautiful, gigantic 3-foot-tall, 20-pound semi-solid milk chocolate bunny. It was a sight to behold.
The winner was Patti Dingler. The cost of the chocolate alone was worth $170, plus the labor, and the retail value is around $300. As the bunny is made from real milk chocolate, it contains cocoa butter, not harmful oils.
Prior to the raffle, the business allowed anyone entering the store to put in one ticket per day Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before Friday’s drawing. No purchase was necessary, but who could resist all of the goodies in the store? Mayor Cindy Billings did the honors of selecting the tickets. The ticket basket was filled with more than 500 entries as traffic in the store was very good leading up to Easter. The chocolates barely made it to the shelves before they were purchased.
The Hartville Chocolate Factory first opened its doors just a few weeks before Easter in 1986. Bob Barton said, “We can’t be more excited. I can’t believe it’s actually been 40 years. Thank you for your many years of love, friendship and support. We are so thankful.”…