Cocoa Crawl Draws Visitors to Saline Main Street

Saline Main Street kicked off this weekend’s holiday events with the annual Cocoa Crawl on Saturday. Participants picked up their Cocoa Crawl passports at the Cultural 109 Exchange, and then visited the sixteen downtown businesses and restaurants that were offering hot cocoa and treats to the shoppers. When the passports were completed, they could be turned in for a chance to win gift baskets filled with items donated from local vendors.

Joanne and Kaili Dence, co-owners of Whitepine Studio, were the organizers of this year’s event.

“We work with Main Street, and all the businesses tell us what they’re doing,” Kaili Dence said. “It’s a group effort. We try to make it fun for everybody.”

“It’s been non-stop traffic. We’re hoping to surpass last year’s total,” Joanne Dence said. “We were over 600 last year, and we’re hoping for at least 800 this year.”

Whitepine Studio hosted an art show that featured local artists who were selling their handcrafted items, just in time for holiday gift-giving.

“The Cocoa Crawl is one of the most fun events downtown. It’s anchored by the parade and the holiday tree lighting. It’s just really festive and a lot of people come out for it,” Dence said.

Ed Brosius, Master Brewer at Salt Springs Brewery, greeted guests on the patio.

“Our brunch service was exceptional,” Brosius said. “This is a house-made cocoa. It’s the real McCoy.”

Karen Carrigan welcomed guests at Carrigan Cafe with a table of Lindt chocolates for sampling.

“It’s been busy and wonderful, with a lot of families coming from outside the area. They’re discovering Saline and all of us in the community.”

Madylin Marshall, Miss Saline 2025, was at Heidi McClelland Photography, where visitors could snap a photo in front of the festive backdrop. Marshall was looking forward to continuing the day’s festivities by participating in the tree lighting and the holiday parade later that evening.

“Miss Saline court has their cars, and we have a Miss Saline float with little girls walking around it. On our float, we have previous Miss Salines. It’s perfect because it’s past, present and future Miss Salines. I’m also at the tree lighting, and I will also be with Santa at Clay and Code.”

Marshall’s mother, Mary Marshall, was excited to see Madylin officiate at this year’s tree lighting.

“Madylin had the honor of turning on the community tree ten years ago. There was a switch that she got to flip, and she was selected randomly from the crowd. It was such an exciting time. Today, she said ‘I get to go back and do it ten years later.’”

Cornerstone Realty offered a buffet of sweets and pastries along with hot cocoa.

“It’s been great to meet everyone who comes in to warm up a little bit and get something nice to drink,” said realtor Becky Freeman.

Tara Joshi, co-owner of Clay and Code, was excited to participate for the first time as a business owner. She assisted a steady stream of shoppers and crafters.

“We’ve been doing ornament making all day,” she said.

Joshi was happy with the turnout for this year’s Cocoa Crawl, and was looking forward to opening the doors after the parade for merrymakers to visit Santa.

“It brings the community together,” she said. “It brings connections, and people come out and visit a business they might not know existed. A lot of people say ‘I passed your sign but I never had a chance to come in, and I didn’t know what you were.’ It’s just bringing us all together, especially for the holidays.”

More News from Saline

• What to do in Saline: Nutcracker, Christmas Concert, Christmas Celebration and Much More Check out our community calendar to find out what's happening this week.
• Saline Glows with Holiday Activity Here are videos and pictures from two hours of holiday fun in downtown Saline.