ASHLAND — Cherie Britton, Art of Gardening Club member, showcased chocolates she made ahead of time at a “Fun with Chocolate” presentation April 1.

The meeting was held at Peace Lutheran Church.

There were 14 members in attendance and two guests, Chris Gerberick and Betsy Kerr, both friends of Britton. Kerr also is acquainted with Pat Edwards, president.

Britton said she took classes from Sally Shank, who owned and operated The Cakery. Shank passed away in 2018.

The do’s and don’ts of molds used for chocolate-making were reviewed. Britton said some of her molds go back to the 80’s.

“When you’re making chocolate the shinier it is the better quality it is!”

Because of close proximity to Neighborhood Pantry, Wooster, most of her chocolate shopping is done there.

When they were little, nine of her grandchildren learned the art of chocolate-making.

Britton’s program was just a drop in the bucket compared to dealing with the 500 to 700 pounds of chocolate she would tackle to make Christmas, Easter candy, etc.

“That’s a lot of Easter chocolate!”

“I love chocolate! I prefer the dark chocolate,” she said. “Dark Chocolate is your best chocolate.”

Health benefits include it being high in antioxidants. It also has the most iron and lowers blood pressure.

Chocolate-covered cherries, first on the agenda, were a hit followed by white chocolate-
covered pretzels. Peanut butter cups were next.

Britton herself has a large kitchen with a large island.

A Cash-only Plant Sale including house plants, the club’s fundraiser for this year, will be held May 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Gerberick and Ruth Ann Linder are in charge of securing awnings. Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church tables will be set up in the parking lot at 1360 Smith Rd. Kim Tanner, member, will oversee the fundraiser.

Members contributing to the plant sale can see member Kathy Varner for five different sizes of pots. These were made available from her neighbor, Todd Bowman, who was the March guest speaker on pruning.

As for pricing, most everything is $2.

Sally Ahlers, “Yard of the Month” coordinator, passed around a sign-up sheet at the meeting for June-September scouts. The first area to be scouted will be the SW based on the 2026 Spring Cleanup’s four quadrants.

The “scouting team” will honor “Yard of the Month” June through September winners with yard signs and gift certificates from the club and Farm and Home Hardware.

Brethren Care will host a Volunteer Thank You Dinner April 6 at 6 p.m. Contact Linder if interested. Claudia Dunn expressed interest in attending. Brethren Care recognizes past volunteers.

In October, the club meets at Brethren Care to assist residents with a craft. Art of Gardening member Cathy Siwek will head this year’s community project.

Dunn will give a pep talk at the May 6 meeting prior to the May 9 plant sale. Members meet on the first Wednesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. at Peace Lutheran Church.

Dunn will also touch on recommended houseplants for beginners who want low-maintenance options.