Our Daily Show Interview! Upper Alton Baptist: Chocolate Festival on 2-9
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ALTON - Upper Alton Baptist Church and Preschool invite the community to come out for their 27th annual Chocolate Festival.
From 2–4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, community members can stop by Upper Alton Baptist Church at 2726 College Avenue for all-you-can eat chocolate treats. A plate or a to-go box cost $7, and kids under age 5 are free. You can also purchase a 15-inch platter for $20. Proceeds from the festival benefit the preschool.
“We’re all chocolate connoisseurs,” said Tammi Bramley-Cash, who oversees the preschool. “Every year, there are weirder things that somebody decided to put in chocolate.”
Buckeyes and chocolate-covered strawberries are “staples,” but Bramley-Cash also promises chocolate-dipped potato chips, bacon covered in chocolate, a three-layer chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate pudding, chocolate drinks and plenty more.
Reverend Brad Donoho added that the 15-inch platter is the perfect contribution to Super Bowl Sunday parties. You can order your platter here and pick it up during the festival. Platters are limited and must be ordered before noon on Feb. 9.
“You get a variety of chocolatey stuff to share,” Donoho said. “Show up at the party with that, and you’re a hit.”
Bramley-Cash explained that the Chocolate Festival started in 1998 as a fundraiser for the church’s bell choir. Over the years, it transitioned to benefit the church, and now all proceeds go to the preschool.
As Children’s Director, Bramley-Cash works closely with the 20 students who attend Upper Alton Baptist Preschool. She said they are still accepting students ages 3 and 4. In addition to basic concepts like numbers and letters, the preschool program teaches social skills, like how to share, how to speak up for yourself, and how to be a good friend. They work hard to prepare kids to enter kindergarten.
Donoho added that the church itself is “down-to-earth.” The congregation is a family, though he noted that people can still stop by, enjoy the music and message, and slip out if they’d prefer. He joked that the church is not “weird,” but a lot of fun for attendees, with a “fresh vision” for what the congregation wants to prioritize in the coming years.
“Sunday mornings are still a happening place,” he said. “It’s a pretty welcoming atmosphere. We try not to be the weird Christians that are out there. Christians get a bad rap, especially the ones that have ‘Baptist’ in their names sometimes. That’s a thing. But we actually think we’re fairly normal people. We just love Jesus.”
To learn more about Upper Alton Baptist Church and Preschool, visit their official website at UABChurch.org. For more information about the 27th annual Chocolate Festival, check out the official Facebook event page.
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