By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— Chocolate peanut butter fudge, chocolate covered bacon and double chocolate chip cookies are just some of the decadent desserts available to guests at the second annual Taste of Chocolate this Valentine’s Day.

The event serves as a fundraiser for the Cahaba Valley Elks Lodge and its Flag Day Celebration, which will take place this June.

“The members of the lodge try to be creative and make different kinds of chocolate recipes and all varieties of things—candies, cookies, cakes— in small servings,” said Liz Bishop, trustee chair for the organization. “We invite our friends and neighbors and anyone in the community who’d like to come.”

The festivities will take place Feb. 14 from 2-4 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 1738 Morgan Park Drive. Bishop said they ask for $10 donations from attendees, who can eat as much chocolate as they’d like.

Last year, Bishop said they raised more than $600 from the 60 or more people who participated in the event. The money goes toward decorations, musical entertainment, stage and venue fees, programs and more for the Flag Day Ceremony, she said.

As a patriotic organization, Bishop said the Flag Day Ceremony is important to the Elks, which makes the Taste of Chocolate even more important to fund it.

While it is a fundraising event, Taste of Chocolate is also one big party. Bishop said they try to go all out with themed decorations and all sorts of treats. This year, they’ll also have a chocolate fountain.

“We just think it’s a nice time of the year to have it because people associate Valentine’s Day and chocolate,” she said. “I get really enthusiastic when we do something that is fun and everyone enjoys doing it.”

To learn more about the Cahaba Valley Elks Lodge, visit Elkslodge1738.com.