Sweets & Treats Walk offers expanding options

Diversity and inclusion may be on the outs in Washington, but the much-loved Meadville tradition formerly known as the Cookie Walk is embracing variety this year — so much so that the event has a new name: the Sweets & Treats Walk.

The new moniker has the 19 participating shops excited, according to Beth Ivanic, owner of Hello Sunshine Children’s Boutique and co-organizer of the event alongside Michele Orndorff of Vision Source Meadville.

“Changing the name this year opens up the opportunity for us to expand ticket sales and provide the public with a variety of treats — cupcakes, candy, cookies, froyo and more,” Ivanic said.

The confectionary perambulation around downtown takes place Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and marks the return of the annual Experience Meadville First Friday event season.

Tickets for the event are $5 and are available through the event’s Facebook page; additional tickets will be sold at the registration station in the lobby of the Crawford County Trust Building, 231 Chestnut St., during the event. Only 300 tickets are being sold, so prospective walk participants may want to run to get theirs if they haven’t purchased any already.

“I anticipate it will probably sell out — given the weather cooperates,” said Melissa Diedricks, owner of Cup n’ Spoon, the frozen yogurt shop at 882 Park Ave.

Current forecasts called for temperatures ranging between 16 and 24 degrees on Friday with little chance of precipitation. Crowds of box-carrying cookie lovers have been known to brave wintry conditions in the past, most notably in 2023 when snow was falling and downtown sidewalks and streets were covered with a fresh layer.

Diedricks is one of several shop owners pushing the envelope for the Sweets & Treats Walk. After offering small servings of frozen yogurt last year, this year’s event will mark the debut of a new addition to Cup n’ Spoon’s offerings: Crunch’ums, which she described as “peanutty bites” that combine qualities of cookies and candy.

Diedricks was armed with a bowl of samples on Wednesday and close examination via multiple senses revealed a flaky and crunchy rectangle that simultaneously possessed a brownie-like chewy consistency. While dairy and gluten free, it was definitely aimed squarely at peanut butter lovers.

“These events are about bringing people into our stores and showcasing our brands,” Diedricks said. “This is a great opportunity to showcase something new and let the town try it.”

The turn toward a more inclusive notion of sugary goodies means more variety this year, but cookies will still be well represented at the event as was evident about a block away from Cup n’ Spoon.

Sarah Chapp, owner of Confections of a Cake Lover, was working on upcoming orders of dozens upon dozens of cookies, part of a month that will see her produce thousands of confections for classes at the shop, multiple Valentine’s events, the Chocoholic Frolic, Wine on the Lake in Erie and, of course, the Sweets & Treats Walk.

On one nearby rack were sugar cookies completed earlier in the day for the Meadville Community Revitalization Corporation (MCRC), which will welcome walk participants at a pop-up appearance in a vacant storefront at 245 Chestnut St. The icing that coated the freshly baked cookies featured a QR code and the message, “Scan me,” thanks to the shop’s edible ink printer.

In addition to the sugar cookies, Confections is producing its traditional salted caramel bars and is also providing a new item — sprinkled shortbread bars — for Chateau Christine.

For those who could muster the patience before taking a bite of the QR cookie, following the instructions took their browser to a community perception survey launched by MCRC on Monday. Designed to capture public opinions on key aspects of Meadville’s downtown, survey results will be factored into the corporation’s revitalization efforts.

“It’s a creative way for them to get some feedback on the community,” Chapp said as she trained her phone’s camera on the square code. “I did the survey this morning.

You can go

The First Friday Sweets & Treats Walk takes place at various downtown locations from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday. Official event containers are required to participate. A limited number of tickets are available beginning at 4:45 p.m. at the Crawford County Trust Building, where official treat containers for the event can be picked up. Tickets are $5 with a limit of one per person or two per family. Other First Friday activities at participating downtown shops are open to all visitors.

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