I must say the smartest decision my friend and I made about going to the Oakdale Chocolate Festival this weekend was to leave my house before 9 am to be there right when it opened. We found excellent parking on the street for free about a block away and didn't have to wait in line at the entrance to get in. For $5.00 entrance fee we weren't expecting much but found several city blocks of vendors, artists, food, classic cars, music and of course chocolate.
The most disappointing thing about the festival was the lack of free chocolate. In fact I'd have to say there were only about 20 chocolate booths total. Instead this might have been better named just the Oakdale Street Faire. The food selections weren't bad, we had our choice of the usual things you expect from a street faire. We both opted for the Lockford Sausage Sandwich. Mine had the works on it. It was lovely. Crisp on the outside with that pop of juicy sausage when you bite into it. It was definitely worth the $5.00 I paid for it. The chocolate on the other hand was nothing special. I had a chocolate covered strawberry that was too expensive but tasty.
We also enjoyed playing free games sponsored by the local media and companies and shopping. Highlights- The chocolate area is air conditioned by giant portable coolers that really did keep it rather cool in that section of the event despite the rest of the festival being in the direct sun and at least 100 degrees by the time we left at 11:30. There was a great car show and music. They had free things for the kids to do.
Unfortunately, none of the highlights were foodie related in my opinion.
