Death By Chocolate set for Friday evening after three-year hiatus

Patty Bittner of Meyersdale remembers the very first Death By Chocolate fundraiser over 20 years ago.

She and the late Helen Caton were members of the Friends of the Meyersdale Public Library at that time and the group came up with the novel idea of a Valentine's Day chocolate bake-off.

Kicking it up a notch: From Shanksville to New Orleans and cooking with Emeril Lagasse

"It was a unanimous vote by the members and we had no idea if it would take off or not," laughed Bittner. "Now that simple idea has become a community favorite. Helen Caton and I were good friends and I helped her at the food pantry as well. She said we needed to be the first ones to enter the competition and that's how we got involved."

After a two-year hiatus because of COVID-19, Death By Chocolate, a yearly fundraiser for the Meyersdale Public Library, will once again be held this Friday. The bake sale will be held at the library on Friday and Saturday morning and the competition will be held at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Amity United Church of Christ.

Who named the Laurel Highlands region a 'fantastic destination for families'?

Even at the first competition, which in those days was held during the day at the library, Bittner made chocolate-covered brandy cherries — a specialty that has made her famous at the event. Every year, she makes cherries, a cake and cookies. There are three categories for the competition — cakes, cookies and bars, and candy — which are later auctioned off to the highest bidder but the bake sale at the library can be any homemade item, even fresh-baked bread which often sells out early.

"During one of the first years, I entered every category for the auction and even took four or five boxes of cherries. I took a little notebook and tallied up how much my items made for the library and they brought in $900," said Bittner.

Somerset County property transfers for Jan. 23-27

She says that some of the big buyers back then, like the late Dave Clapper and Dean O'Neil, never thought twice of paying $900 for a cake and O'Neil's mother used to make German chocolate cakes that often ended up in bidding wars and became top sales items.

"Even though some of those community members are very missed, the event itself goes on as a great way to support the library and it's a lot of fun," said Bittner. "My husband Tim Bittner has always been supportive. He's my taste tester and carries a big laundry basket of goodies to be entered for the event. We enjoy the atmosphere and community fellowship."

Bittner's love for her local library goes back to childhood. She remembers when her father, the late George Shuck, would take his children to the library in the 1970s and drop them off for a few hours when the library was located in an older building down the street. She remembers Marguerite Cockley being the librarian then and there was a big ladder that would roll the whole way through the building down the aisles of books. Through those youthful experiences, Bittner says she and her siblings became avid readers and now that love of reading has been passed down to the next generation in her family.

"We will do anything to keep the library in our town," Bittner said. "That's why these fundraisers are so important because without our local library, the town would be lost. The library connects us in so many ways."

Pam Walukas, a member of the Friends group who has helped with the event for years, couldn't agree more.

"The 2020 Death By Chocolate was one of the last public events before everything was shut down," said Walukas. "The community is ready to celebrate Valentine's Day again through this event, which has always been marvelously supported through the years. It's for a good cause and we enjoy watching everyone having so much fun at the competition and auction while raising money for the library."

Mel Reckner, a Friends member who coordinates the event, says it\'s good to be back after three years.

"I've been hearing nothing but how much people are happy that Death By Chocolate is back," she said. "It brings people from all realms — people who do the baking, people who do the bidding and people who do the eating. In all, the community has always been so supportive and we are so very happy to bring it back."

Reckner pointed out that the one important change to be aware of this year is that the time has been moved up one hour to 5:30 p.m. Friday, instead of 6:30 like before, because that will allow everyone to get home at an earlier time.

She also related that Jesse Maust, the local auctioneer who always volunteered his time for this event, is coming back and Almeda Miller, a local baker, will be there again to serve as the cake cutter.

For anyone who wants to participate, there are three ways to help the library raise funds.

The first way is the actual competition being held Friday evening. Submissions for the contest are being received throughout the day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday at Amity UCC in the three categories of cakes/pies, cookies/bars or candies. Then, once judged, those items will be auctioned off to the highest bidder with the proceeds going towards the library.

The second way is to make something (chocolate or otherwise) for the bake sale at the library the same day, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. until they are sold out on the following day, Saturday. Those submissions are being accepted at the library the day before, from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, and also the day of the event. Volunteers will man the bake sale that Friday and Saturday at the library for those who just want to stop by and get something sweet to eat for Valentine's Day, which is the third way to support this cause by buying some bags of goodies all in the name of charity.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Meyersdale Death By Chocolate library fundraiser is back