Trinity’s on the Square was decorated for the 300 expected visitors participating in the 2022 Chocolate walk hosted by Athens Main Street.

Chocolate lovers from all over North Alabama and Tennessee converged on the Athens Square last Saturday for the 2022 Chocolate Walk. The event was hosted by Athens Main Street for the ninth consecutive year, and local businesses reported a noticeable increase in foot traffic associated with the increasingly popular event.

Athens Main Street Executive Director Tere Richardson was excited about the success of this year’s Chocolate Walk.

“We had a fantastic turnout. We sold 300 tickets, and we had probably just about every one of those people to show up. That was good and the weather was beautiful,” she said.

Richardson said that a wide variety of people came to the event including couples, groups of girlfriends and families.

“I did a survey, and most everybody said that their foot traffic and sales were better that expected, so that was a positive,” she said.

Many visitors came from other towns to participate in the Chocolate Walk.

“We had quite a few from Nashville, Birmingham, Huntsville, Madison, Decatur and Florence. A few came from Columbia, Tenn. These events are how these people will begin to identify their favorite shops. That’s what the event is all about,” Richardson said. Also included in this year’s Chocolate Walk were the children’s art windows.

The art was created by elementary art students of Katie Blair and is now on display in the Merchant’s Alley.

The artwork will remain until late spring.

Richardson revealed that a new series of entertainment will be coming to Merchant’s Alley starting April 1: “The Merchant’s Alley Happy Hour Music Series.”

“Starting April 1, every Friday night through July 1, we will have a music act in the Alley from 5 until 6:30 p.m. Come to the Alley and enjoy happy hour with us and the music,” she said.

For more information on upcoming events visit http://www.athensmainstreet.org/ or visit Athens Main Street on Facebook.