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BURLINGTON â The chocolate might be gone, but festival organizers in Burlington are putting together a new event they hope will be just as sweet.
The Burlington Jamboree, an event to succeed the old ChocolateFest, kicks off Friday with plans for a weekend filled with music, food and fun on the former ChocolateFest festival grounds.
Organizers revamped the Memorial Day weekend event after Burlington city leaders decided to reconsider the communityâs slogan of âChocolate City U.S.A.â A study is underway on whether Burlington should rebrand itself as something unrelated to chocolate.
The COVID-19 pandemic also had a big impact on the festival. After last yearâs ChocolateFest was canceled because of COVID, organizers took a long look at whether to present any sort of festival in 2021.
BURLINGTON â Burlington aldermen are throwing their support behind a new Memorial Day weekend festival to replace ChocolateFest, possibly as a permanent change.
The Burlington City Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to issue a special-events permit for the new festival, known as the Burlington Jamboree.
The same group responsible for organizing ChocolateFest is behind the new festival. Organizers told the City Council that ChocolateFest might be finished for good, ending a more than 30-year run.
Time for change, or a revival?
Scherrer
Bil Scherrer, president of the organizing group, alluded to the cityâs recent decision to consider rebranding the community by dropping Burlingtonâs longstanding slogan of âChocolate City U.S.A.â as a reason to take the Memorial Day weekend festival in a new direction.