Every December in Lovettsville, Virginia, there is a hot town tradition known as the “Cocoa Crawl.” Similar to a bar crawl, a cocoa crawl has participants traveling to different local businesses to enjoy hot cocoa and cocoa themed snacks. This year Lovettsville is doing it a little differently. Partakers could pick up a “Cocoa Crawl Passport” at any of the businesses who participated and receive stickers to mark the number of businesses they visited.
At 6:30 PM December 6th, the Lovettsville Tree Lighting Ceremony began on the “Squikle,” the official location for receiving prizes for completing the crawl. For the first twenty participants who turned in their passport with five or more stickers, a limited Lovettsville Cocoa Crawl mug designed by local artist Sally Sloan-Scott was awarded. Every passport turned in was also entered into a raffle drawing for a basket of Lovettsville themed t-shirts, hoodies, and other prizes. There was even a vote for which business had the best cocoa themed creation of the crawl.
The Cocoa Crawl began in December of 2020, and has become part of the tree lighting tradition ever since. The Cocoa Crawl is run by Lovettsville’s Community Engagement and Economic Development Coordinator, Sara Moseley. Planning for the crawl starts around mid-October, with Mosely reaching out to all the brick and mortar businesses in Lovettsville to gauge interest. This year she also started a new tradition where a mug, designed by an artist local to Lovettsville, will be awarded for people who completed the crawl.
On the day of the Cocoa Crawl, Mosely supported the different businesses by making sure they have everything they need for the crawl. She also talked to some of the Cocoa Crawl participants to gather information and insight on their experiences, always listening to see what she can improve on for next year. Mosely shared, “I love seeing families and friends out in the community, visiting different businesses around town and celebrating the holiday season together.”
Backstreet Brews Coffee and Tea House was voted fan favorite of the Cocoa Crawl this year. They were also the only business to include an assortment of items, rather than just one hot cocoa creation. Outside of their cocoa, Backstreet Brews is popular throughout Lovettsville for their coffee and ice cream. They often have many different types of seasonal drinks depending on the time of year. Maureen Morris, owner of Backstreet Brews, mentioned, “My staff love to get creative and invent different yummy drinks and name them according to the season.”
Market Table Bistro also had a lot of buzz around its hot cocoa, which was complete with a giant marshmallow that was torch-toasted, as well as their cocoa option that included alcohol. Rebecca Lage, co-owner of Market Table Bistro, explained the difference between participating in the crawl compared to daily operations, saying, “The restaurant is a lot more formal. Typically we are just open for dinner or brunch, so it was just kind of fun to have a more casual day and meet a lot of new people.”
The Cocoa Crawl has become a staple of the winter season in Lovettsville and to the local businesses it promotes each year. If you are from Lovettsville and you did not get to do the crawl last year, mark your calendars to attend the hottest event of the year!
