Byline: (Credit: Richard Stokes / RGJ)
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Forget about all that bloodsucking stuff. Vampires seeking the "essence of life" at Fantasies in Chocolate's "Vampire's Ball" will find chocolate and champagne flowing instead of blood.
More than 60 chocolate, food, wine and beverage vendors will be on hand Oct. 30 for the 25th anniversary of the benefit for the Reno Gazette-Journal Foundation, which over the years has awarded more than $765,000 to local charitable organizations and individuals.
This year's Fantasies, held at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, includes the ninth annual People's Choice awards for the most outstanding creations in ice cream or yogurt, desserts, candy and a savory dish as well as awards for the most creative use of chocolate, most innovative dessert or food, best sculpture and best booth display.
Besides bragging rights for the year, winners will be awarded a newly created and specially designed trophy in the colors of chocolate and butterscotch.
Always a black-tie event, this year attendees are encouraged to come in vampire attire to vie for $1,000 prizes to the best-dressed vampire and the best-dressed vampiress.
Combine that incentive with the recent studies that show putting on a costume is a proven stress reliever by letting you show a seldom-seen side of yourself and the well-known benefits of chocolate, and this year's Fantasies in Chocolate should be one of the best ever.
Of course, it will have to go to some lengths to make the best-ever list of two Reno residents, Marlys Delaney Hutchinson and Earl Hutchinson.
Two years ago, while dancing a waltz at Fantasies in Chocolate, the couple became engaged.
"My shoe had come off during the dance and I was so busy trying to get it back on, I wasn't paying attention to why Earl had stopped," Marlys said.
"He asked me what I would do if he took a ring out of his pocket and asked me to marry him and I said, 'Are you going to do that?' and he said, 'Yes, I think I am.'"
The two were married the following June, with their five grown children and 10 grandchildren in attendance.
"At last year's Fantasies in Chocolate, Earl had them play the same waltz and he re-enacted the whole thing. He's very romantic," she said.
This year's spooky vampire theme might just spark a bit of romance for all the attendees since getting scared together, say experts, pumps up adrenaline and triggers the same brain chemicals that are released when you first fall in love.
While both enjoy dressing up, the couple is planning on wearing costumes this year.
"I'm wearing a long black and gold dress with a long black cape, and Earl is wearing his tux with some vampire-type accessories," she said with a laugh.
"I look forward to this event every year, no matter what happens, I go. I mean how often do you get to be Cinderella at the ball with all those beautiful people around you and all kinds of chocolate, the wine and the champagne, the dancing and more chocolate. It's just fantastic."
Dancing this year will feature the tunes and patter of DJ Chad Sawyer. To add to the visual fun, models from Karen Burns Productions will be dressed as vampires and spiriting themselves around the room.
Vendors supplying chocolate include Academy Mortgage, Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, Back of the House, Batch Cupcakery, the Chocolate Bar, Chocolate Walrus, Cold Stone Creamery, Dorado Chocolates, Eldorado Hotel Casino, Grand Sierra, Kimmy Candy Co., Marie Calender's, Melting Pot, Nothing To It, Peppertree, Pet Network, Reno Tahoe Limo, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Sierra Nevada Chocolate Factory, Tahoe Creamery, TCBY, Vino 100 and Whole Foods.
Food vendors are El Pescador, Men Wielding Fire, Men's Club, Q'Doba and Scolari's.
Drink vendors are Southern Wine and Spirits, Great Basin Brewery, Buckbean Brewery, Absolut Vodka, King 888, Thomas Kemper, Lindemans, Voss, Modelo and New Belgium Brewery.
Wine vendors are Banfi, Beringer, Carrefour Vineyards, Constellation Wines US, Crown Imports, Bronco Wines, Domaine Ste. Michelle, Fess Parker, Francis Ford Coppola, Grateful Palate, Ironstone, Layer Cake, Perry Creek, Purple Wine Co., Rodney Strong, Silkwood, Tahoe Ridge Winery, Tomas Estate, Vampire Wine, Wente, Wolf Blass Gold Label Shiraz and Yellow Tail.
