Long Grove Cocoa Crawl adjusts for pandemic

LONG GROVE - The Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association has modified its first major event of 2021 to help curb the spread of COVID-19. From noon to 4 p.m. Feb. 6 and 7, the Long Grove Cocoa Crawl will combine a new virtual application with the traditional in-person model to provide a safer experience for all.

A winter tradition for the last three years, the fourth annual Cocoa Crawl will feature local merchants around the historic downtown district teaming up for a fun-filled, family-friendly weekend where visitors can crawl out of winter hibernation for a cocoa-infused scavenger hunt. "Due to COVID-19, we decided to modify the Cocoa Crawl this year to prevent 2,000-plus people from coming into town at once," said Jesse DeSoto, president of the event's organizer, the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association. "We chose to spread the event out over two days and are utilizing a special app that will work to create a new and safe Cocoa Crawl weekend experience, one part virtual, one part in-person."

Registration, which is required for Cocoa Crawl this year in order to limit the amount of participants, started on Jan. 15 at www.longgrove.org/festivals/cocoa-crawl. The charge for Cocoa Crawl 2021 will be $20 per group with a maximum of six people per group.