Moffat County is gearing up for a weekend of both sweet indulgence and high-speed thrills. 

The coming Saturday sees both Taste of Chocolate downtown and Coal Mountain Skijoring at Moffat County Fairgrounds.

Both events have become much-anticipated opportunities for the community to come together and celebrate during the cold winter months.

---

---

Tasty treats

Taste of Chocolate will run from 4-7 p.m. Saturday along Yampa Avenue and Victory Way. The event is spearheaded by the Downtown Business Association and started as an addition to Craig’s Art Walk nearly two decades ago. It has since evolved into a celebration of local business, community and, of course, chocolate.

“It’s about the chocolate, the music and just getting people in the stores to see what we have,” said event organizer Kandee Dilldine and DBA’s treasurer and event coordinator.  

---

---

The idea was the brainchild of Nadine Daszkiewicz, who was inspired by a customer’s experience in another town. 

“She told me about this wonderful chocolate tour they had seen,” Daszkiewicz said. “So, I got together with a couple of other people, and that’s how it all started.”

The concept was simple. Businesses around downtown Craig would host chocolatiers and their treats for ticket holders to sample, competing for the votes of the community and a cash prize. 

“It cost a lot of money to make all this chocolate,” Daszkiewicz said. “So we wanted to make sure there was a worthwhile reward.”

In its early years, the Taste of Chocolate would sell out quickly. At its peak, the event featured 22 chocolatiers, prompting jokes about the necessity of an ambulance crew on standby due to potential sugar overload. Though participation has fluctuated over the years, enthusiasm for the event remains strong.

Daszkiewicz, who has since stepped away from organizing, hopes to see the tradition continue. 

“Any activity that gets the community together is always good. It can’t always be about sports or selling things. It’s just a fun activity,” she said. 

The following is a list of locations and chocolatiers:

• The Popular Bar — Vicki Burns and Dena Butler
• Gathered Grace — Kathy White
• The Find — Tori and Arlea Pingley
• Yampa Valley Brewing Company — David Abdool
• KS Kreations — Kandee Dilldine
• Kitchen A La More — Cheryl Ivy
• Downtown Books — Arianna Anderson

Cold setting, hot speed

While chocolate lovers indulge downtown, the Moffat County Fairground will transform into an arena of snow-based speed and skill as the city hosts its annual ski-joring competition, which pairs skiers with horseback riders in a race through an obstacle-filled track.

The races will run from 9 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Saturday and will start up again at 10 a.m. Sunday. Race registration will be from 6-8 p.m. Friday at Yampa Valley Brewing Company 

“Ski-joring itself doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with horses,” said Kaylee McLean, one of the event’s founders. “Historically, it started in Scandinavia and was done with reindeer and dogs. In the U.S., it first gained traction in Leadville, Colorado.”

McLean and Ben Hessling, both seasoned competitors, found themselves drawn to the sport after attending a race in Ridgway six years ago. 

“We didn’t expect to do so well, but after that first race, we spent the rest of the winter traveling across Colorado, Wyoming and Montana competing almost every weekend,” she said.

Realizing Craig’s climate was perfect for skijoring, the pair decided to host their own event in Moffat County. Owing to cold temperatures and ample amounts of snow, the event paired perfectly with the community as well as the region’s climate. 

With only eight weeks of preparation, the first race in 2023 was a resounding success, drawing competitors and spectators from across the region.

While Craig is not traditionally known as a ski town, McLean points out that it is a horse town. 

“That’s what makes skijoring so unique. It brings together two different types of people to work as a team,” she said. “Many of our skiers don’t know much about horses, and many of our riders have never skied.”

The event is structured into divisions ranging from novice to expert, with the open class featuring big jumps and high speeds. Hessling noted that “you can feel the adrenaline in the air” during the race and as the crowd rises to support the skiers and the riders, especially immediately after a skier wrecks.

There is also a youth division for children who are 12 years old and under.

Craig community

The timing of both events overlap with Steamboat’s Winter Carnival the same weekend. McLean explained that the decision to overlap was based on practical factors. 

“We have to consider the race circuit schedule, weather conditions and what weekends work best for competitors,” she said. “We weren’t looking to pull people away from Steamboat. It’s just how it worked out.”

Both Taste of Chocolate and the races rely heavily on volunteers as well as assistance from local businesses and sponsors. McLean called such support “humbling,” noting that many people and organizations have “stepped up” to make such a fun-filled weekend possible.

“Craig doesn’t have a lot going on in the winter,” Hessling said. “Bringing people together for something exciting is what makes this so rewarding.”

For more information, or to register, for the skijoring races, visit coalmountainskijoring.secureserversites.net.