Eww! Chocolate-covered bugs on menu for North Canton chocolate walk

Laura Kessel, Canton Repository
Updated ·3 min read
Teresa Kerekes, office manager at State Termite and Pest Solutions in North Canton, makes it look like she's going to try one of the chocolate covered bugs the company will offer during the North Canton Chocolate Walk on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. She didn't actually eat it, though.
Teresa Kerekes, office manager at State Termite and Pest Solutions in North Canton, makes it look like she's going to try one of the chocolate covered bugs the company will offer during the North Canton Chocolate Walk on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. She didn't actually eat it, though.

NORTH CANTON ‒ Teresa Kerekes of State Termite and Pest Solutions will be among employees handing out treats Saturday during the North Canton Chocolate Walk.

But she won’t be tasting her company’s offering, thank you very much.

Kerekes will pass on the chocolate covered bugs that State Termite will have among their offerings to ticket-holders in the annual event put on by North Canton Chamber of Commerce. State Termite will have other sweets, though, as Kerekes said she’ll also be offering some items by Anastasiates Chocolates of Plain Township.

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The event runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at various businesses and locations along South Main Street. Participants will check in at the chamber office, at 121 S. Main St., where they will receive a map and a treat bag to collect their goodies.

North Canton chamber event manager Zac Bissell said 40 businesses are taking part this year, up from the 36 that took part in 2022. It’s the fourth year of the walk, which started in 2019 then lost a year to the COVID-19 pandemic.

State Termite and Pest Solutions in North Canton will be offering chocolate-covered insects to participants in the North Canton Chocolate Walk on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.
State Termite and Pest Solutions in North Canton will be offering chocolate-covered insects to participants in the North Canton Chocolate Walk on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.

This will be State Termite’s first year taking part. Kerekes said the business joined because officials want to increase their profile in the community.

“I decided to pass out chocolate treats for local networking in our community but I know that most participants will take their candy and never think of us again,” Kerekes said. “However, I wanted to make a memorable impact on the people that take candy from us so later when they have bug issues at their house they will say, ‘Hey, who was that company that passed out the chocolate bugs?’ and then call us!”

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Walk participants shouldn’t worry, because the bugs were sourced from an educational provider — not your neighbor’s house.

“The bugs are not bugs we collected … that would be gross, right?” she said. “It also would probably make someone sick.”

A look at the chocolate-covered crickets and larvae that State Termite and Pest Solutions will be offering to participants in the North Canton Chocolate Walk on Saturday.
A look at the chocolate-covered crickets and larvae that State Termite and Pest Solutions will be offering to participants in the North Canton Chocolate Walk on Saturday.

Kerekes, a resident of North Canton who has been with State Termite since May 2016, said the bug candy is small, actually larvae and crickets in milk and white chocolate.

No one at State Termite has tried them yet. The staff at the family-owned company that’s been in business since 1933.

Zac Bissell said about 40 tickets remained as of 11 a.m. Thursday. Any tickets not sold by the end of the day Friday will be available for walkups. Call the chamber at 330-499-5100 for information.

Bissell said participants in the North Canton Chocolate Walk can start anywhere along the map’s route, and hit as many of the participants as they wish. The chamber estimates it will take about three hours to hit every stop.

Participants include non-chocolate businesses, and some that aren’t actually located in North Canton.

North Canton Chocolate Walk participants

Here's a look at who's participating in the annual North Canton Chocolate Walk on Saturday:

  • Waggoner Chocolates

  • Pav’s Creamery

  • North Canton Public Library

  • RE/MAX Trends Realty-Laura Vandervaart Team

  • The Crow’s Nest Diner

  • Stuffed Pastry

  • M&H Beans Coffee Co.

  • X-Excel

  • Open Arms Adoptions

  • DeHoff Realtors

  • Body, Mind & Spine Wellness Center

  • North Canton TV & Appliance

  • Park Street Pizza

  • North Canton Education Association

  • Walthers Twin Tavern

  • St. Paul Catholic Church

  • St. Paul Catholic School

  • City of North Canton

  • Inspired Balloon Designs

  • Yara Capelli Salon

  • The Cake Lady

  • Yellow Blossom Bakeshop

  • The Captivating Closet

  • John Orr for City Council

  • Wayne Savings Community Bank

  • KeyBank

  • Mathnasium

  • Hub Victor

  • Another Broken Egg Café

  • Ferrero/Fannie May

  • Mary Kay Cosmetics

  • State Termite

  • JTEK Solutions

  • Abbott's Bridal & Formalwear

  • Jane Nicholson State Farm

  • North Canton YMCA

  • The Howlin Bird

  • OPMC Med Spa

  • Northminster Presbyterian Church

  • Commercial & Savings Bank

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: State Termite bringing chocolate-covered bugs to North Canton event