Chocolate Extravaganza, courtesy of MOTA

About a hundred visitors of all ages gathered at the Museum of the Aleutians on Valentine’s Day for the seventh annual Chocolate Extravaganza. The museum offers this event to community members as a place to celebrate the holiday with their families, loved ones, and friends, while supporting the museum’s various programs. Over twenty local chefs donated their homemade chocolate desserts, supplying an extraordinary array of elaborate chocolate cakes, cookies, brownies, and even some unique chocolate dishes like a savory chili. Museum Director Zoya Johnson commented in her welcoming statements at the event that she was extremely impressed and appreciative that the community chefs had been able to supply such a rich spread on a Friday evening, when in the past the event has generally taken place over the weekend. Chocolate connoisseurs from the community were also treated to a performance by Sarah Peacock, an extremely talented singer/songwriter visiting from Nashville, TN.

For some visitors, the Chocolate Extravaganza was also an opportunity to see the museum’s newly designed permanent exhibits for the first time. The new displays are an educational walk through the history of the area, including prehistoric Aleut culture, the arrival of Russian settlers, the purchase of Alaska by the United States, WWII, and the modern era of commercial fishing.