Fifth Annual
American Heritage Chocolate Celebration
Saturday, February 9, 2008
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

With Valentine's Day lurking just around the corner, Historic Deerfield and Mars, Inc. are presenting a chocolate-covered gift of "Historic" proportions. The fifth annual event will now be called the American Heritage Chocolate® Celebration and still include a packed day with delectable chocolate treats, family-friendly activities and unique demonstrations. The celebration will introduce visitors to American Heritage Chocolate®, a re-creation of colonial American chocolate produced by the Historic Division of Mars, Inc. Free samples of American Heritage Chocolate® Sticks and Chocolate Spice Drinks will be handed out. The Historic Deerfield Museum Store is one of only seven historical sites in North America to carry American Heritage Chocolate® products. In keeping with the spirit of this event, the Deerfield Inn will offer a wide range of à la carte chocolate delicacies, with food and drinks being served between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Additional family-friendly food choices will be served in the Terrace Cafe. All food and drink sold separately. In addition to assorted confectionery sampling and family activities, the American Heritage Chocolate® Celebration will showcase area professionals tracing the historical roots of chocolate in America. Susan McLellan Plaisted, Proprietress of Heart to Hearth Cookery, will demonstrate traditional methods for roasting cacao nibs over an open hearth and grinding them on a stone metate. Bob Heiss, specialty food buyer and co-owner of Cooks Shop Here in Northampton, MA, will host "Chocolate Tastings from around the World," where visitors can taste chocolates from Ecuador to Madagascar. Amherst College History Professor Rick Lopez will offer lectures on the history of chocolate in Meso-America. Amanda Lange, Historic Deerfield's Curator of Historic Interiors, will offer lectures on the history of chocolate in Early New England. Steve Smithers, a local silversmith, will create an authentic reproduction of Historic Deerfield's 18th Century silver chocolate pot "The American Heritage Chocolate Celebration is growing with the Mars Company's increased interest in Historic Deerfield and in the history of chocolate use in early America," said Philip Zea, President of Historic Deerfield. "Great history is what we're all about, and great chocolate puts the icing on the cake!" The American Heritage Chocolate® Celebration will take place at Historic Deerfield on Saturday, Feb. 9, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Special Event admission of $14 for adults, $5 for youth (6-21), under 6 and members free. The Deerfield Inn will open from 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., with food tickets sold separately. Visitors will receive a free gift with membership in the Friends of Historic Deerfield by purchasing it on Sat., Feb. 9, and receive free admission to the event! Visitors to Historic Deerfield's Museum Store on Saturday, Feb. 9, will receive 10% off books and merchandise, and enjoy free samples of chocolate confections available for purchase in the store. The Museum Store will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Event sponsor: American Heritage Chocolate® The authentic American Heritage Chocolate® recipe has been developed by Mars, Inc. in cooperation with the Colonial Chocolate Society, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Fort Ticonderoga, Historic Division of Mars, Inc., and the University of California at Davis. It is available in seven different historic locations across America including the Historic Deerfield Museum Store. To learn more about American Heritage Chocolate® please visit www.americanheritagechocolate.com

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