Photos by Mary Alice Murphy
At the annual Chocolate Fantasia, a fundraiser for the Mimbres Region Arts Council, the streets of downtown Silver City filled with ticket holders, meandering and dashing from venue to venue to gather their 20 pieces of chocolate.
More than 30 storefronts, restaurants and galleries participated in the competition to win the prizes for best chocolatier, best-tasting chocolate and best-decorated site, following the theme of "Lights, Action! Chocolate Fantasia!"
A breezy, but warm day formed the backdrop for a busy day. Volunteer chocolatiers became the stars of the event. Without them and those who volunteer to hand out the chocolates, no event would take place.
Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Silver City MainStreet Project Manager Lucy Whitmarsh holds one of the fundraising posters of the Silco Theater.-?`^
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Becky Altringer, pretend paparazzi, gets her photo taken by a real paparazzi.
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Encore presented chocolate Oscars to ticket holders
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Mae West AKA Holly Sytch and Elvis AKA Raul Turrieta mug for the camera.
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Marisela Palma and Jessica Dechert, WNMU cheerleaders make up a cheer spelling the word chocolate.
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
WNMU cheerleaders Crisol Marquez, Bianca Rivera, Jessica Dominguez, Marisela Palma and Jessica Dechert help out MRAC by handing out chocolates they made.
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Julie Enos stands in front of the Bollywood-style poster making a movie out of the venue.
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Judy Wuthrich is one dressed-up zombie.
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Pirate Katie Rider confers with Capt. Hook AKA Rebecca Koebel at The Lion's Den.
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Continuing the pirate theme, Tinkerbell AKA Jennifer Rider hands out chocolates.
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Nan Spragens, center, has Humphrey Bogart in Casablana showing over her shoulder at Seedboat Gallery.
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
A zombie AKA Jennifer Eldridge hands out chocolates at Syzygy Tileworks, which featured a zombie run out front.
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Tre Rosat offered banana-coconut bongio bon-bons.
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Ricky Ricardo AKA Tre Rosat Chef Sean Byrd and Lucy AKA King Crowder, Tre Rosat -?co-owner, mug for the camera.
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
Diana Leyba-Ingalls and Tasha Cooper are dressed up for the Oscars at Leyba & Ingalls Art Supply and Gallery
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
A flash mob of zombies danced at the corner of Broadway and Bullard and then "died."
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Chocolate Fantasia 2015
At the Silver City Museum, Keanu Wilson, 6, carefully "mines" the chocolate chips out of the cookies, and then gets to eat them.
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