Kankakee Times

Chocolate Tour Announces 2nd Chance Raffle

The sixth annual Chocolate Tour returns Saturday, February 4, 2023, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The community event is cohosted by the Village of Bourbonnais and Bourbonnais Township Park District, in conjunction with title sponsor Sweet Street. 350 tickets went on sale to the public Wednesday, December 15, 2022, and sold out in a matter of minutes.

With days remaining until the winter experience, the Village of Bourbonnais and Bourbonnais Township Park District announce a new second-chance raffle for those who were unable to purchase tickets.

With the event being centered around Valentine’s Day, to enter the contest, participants must ‘love’ the Village of Bourbonnais’ second-chance raffle post on their Facebook page starting Friday, January 27, and comment with at least one thing you love about Bourbonnais by Wednesday, February 1, at 4 p.m. to qualify. Only one entry per person is permitted.

Two winners will be selected on Facebook Live Thursday, February 2, at 4 p.m. Each winner will be awarded a pair of event tickets.   

“We were fortunate to have a ticket purchaser no longer need four event tickets and reached out to inquire how they could be safely resold,” explained Village of Bourbonnais Marketing & Public Engagement Manager, Lindy Casey. “So, you could say, we bought our own tickets back for the community to have a second chance at Chocolate Tour. Our goal is to always maximize the number of participants without creating a financial hardship on our businesses.”

“We wanted to create a new way to give this opportunity to lucky winners and include more people to be part of this sweet tour,” said Community Outreach & Marketing Director, Cherie Smolkovich.

350 ‘tourists’ will embark upon an afternoon adventure traveling to 35 business stops within the Village. Each will receive a tour map for their decadent journey; a passport to receive a stamp at each destination visited; and a bag to tote along sweet treats. A completed passport may be entered to win the Chocolate Tour grand prize, courtesy of Andaul Jewelers in Bourbonnais, and the Chocolate Tour runner-up grand prize, courtesy of the Bourbonnais Friendship Festival.

Chocolate Tour continues its commitment to benefitting Bourbonnais with event proceeds supporting the community through various projects, programs and events. 2023 proceeds will benefit Village of Bourbonnais park improvements and also funding for Bourbonnais Township Park District programs and events.

Proceeds from previous Chocolate Tour events have benefitted the Event and Skate Plaza, Children’s Safety Center, the 1837 Log Schoolhouse Restoration Project, Robert Latham Community Room upgrades and free events for the public. 

Over 20 raffle baskets will be available to win and do not require an event ticket; all are welcome to participate. The baskets will be on display at the event’s new temporary home at Bishop McNamara Bourbonnais - 324 E. Marsile St. Raffle tickets may be purchased during the event from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the gymnasium. All winners will be announced beginning at 5:00 p.m. Winners do not need to be present.

“We are very thankful for Bishop McNamara’s hospitality and welcoming this event at their Bourbonnais location, so we are still able to host this experience for the community,” said Mayor Paul Schore. “We appreciate our local partnerships and working together for Bourbonnais and Kankakee County.”

For information about upcoming Bourbonnais events, click here or visit www.btpd.org. 

Questions about Chocolate Tour? Please contact Marketing & Public Engagement Manager, Lindy Casey, here.

Original source can be found here