Chocolate is the Belle of the Ball!

Chocolate lovers along the Mississippi Coast flock to this extraordinary event every year in Ocean Springs. The Mary C. O'Keefe Cultural Center for Arts & Education will hold the 9th Annual Le Bal au Chocolat: A Love Affair with Chocolate on Saturday, April 18, 2009. Every year this popular culinary extravaganza, sponsored by the IP Casino and Resort, benefits the Mary C.'s community programs, theater performances and educational classes.

This year's Chocolate Ball, as the locals call it, will feature mouth-watering local dishes, including mini crab cakes and jumbo shrimp. But it is the colossal array of chocolate delicacies that attracts an eager crowd reading for indulgence -- and second helpings are a must.

Held on the front lawn where candlelit tables glitter under the starts, the sounds of local band Caution Swing Bridge will have attendees spinning on the dance floor under the picturesque canopy of live oak trees. A silent auction featuring the work of local artisans will be held inside the historic building, which was originally the Ocean Springs Public School Building.

The building itself provides the perfect venue for creative expression in such an arts-focused community, with many programs and classes in place, with more in progress. The upcoming Culinary Arts Room, set to open in the late spring, will hold cooking classes for all ages and a cafe, while the City of Ocean Springs Museum is another project soon to reach fruition on the second floor of the building.

This article first appeared in the March/April edition of Mississippi Magazine, written by Jennifer Barnes Moffett, reprinted with permission.

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An amazing array of chocolate!