FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:   
Heather O’Connell, Community Relations Coordinator
(239) 461-2924 or hoconnell@leegov.com

Time to Enjoy Chocolate & Spirits in Support of Reading

Fort Myers, Fla., November 15, 2007 ─ Locals have an opportunity to satisfy their chocolate cravings, this month, at a taste-testing experience that packs a palatable punch.

The Chocolate & Spirits Festival is back to offer the public an evening of sweet indulgence and live entertainment on Thursday, Nov. 29. The eighth-annual event will serve up an irresistible assortment of chocolate creations and holiday spirits from a dozen of Lee County’s finest restaurants and businesses. It will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bell Tower Shops (located at the corner of U.S. 41 and Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers). Admission is free.

The Library System Foundation of Lee County Inc. presents the fund-raiser in support of the Lee County Library System’s Southwest Florida Reading Festival ─ a premier literary extravaganza held each spring in the Fort Myers River District. All proceeds from Chocolate & Spirits’ food and beverage sales, drawings and auctions will benefit the 2008 Reading Festival, which is slated for March 15. The foundation raised more than $5,000 at last year’s Chocolate & Spirits fest.

“You can delight in delicious drinks and desserts, get a jump on holiday shopping and support a good cause all at the same time,” said Heather O’Connell, Lee County Library System Community Relations Coordinator. “The auction items include a variety of gift baskets, one-of-a-kind items from fine shops, as well as gift certificates to participating restaurants. And the center courtyard will be filled with an amazing assortment of chocolate cakes, brownies and chocolate-dipped fruits.”

The flavor of this year’s chocolaty affair is expected to draw a crowd of about 1,000 people from Lee and surrounding counties, primarily those who will set dietary inhibitions aside to sample decadent candies, drinks and pastries of all shapes, sizes and consistencies. Returning supporters of the Chocolate & Spirits Festival can look forward to getting their fill on an old crowd favorite ─ chocolate martinis ─ or trying tasty concoctions from new exhibitors such as Johnny Rockets and the Blue Pointe Oyster Bar & Seafood Grill.

For more information or a complete list of Chocolate & Spirits VIII exhibitors, log on to the Lee County Library System Web site at www.lee-county.com\library.

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