Cold temperatures contributed to the atmosphere as more than 3,000 people attended the ninth-annual Cocoa Crawl Saturday in historic downtown Long Grove.
“Cocoa Crawl brings the community together — families, volunteers, local organizations lending a hand, and visitors enjoying the charm and character of Long Grove,” village events manager Nikki Faul said.
“It’s a fun way for everyone to enjoy the day, and for local merchants to connect with our community and welcome visitors,” she said.
The event was presented by the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association in partnership with the Long Grove Lions Club.
Association President Ryan Messner said the event serves as the first event of Long Grove’s 2026 festival calendar.
“This starts the season,” he said. “This is the kickoff of the year.
The village, he said, is “family-friendly and we’re open for business.”
At Cocoa Crawl, six hot cocoa stations were offering free hot chocolate, including new flavors blueberry and Dreamsicle. The Long Grove Confectionery offered its own hot cocoa strawberry flavor, along with complimentary cookies.
Jennifer Soto, barista at the confectionery’s coffee shop, said customer traffic was good.
“We love it,” she said of the event.
Mike Dvorak returned to play the accordion and strolled the event premises while singing about the Cocoa Crawl. His signature song included the lyrics, “Do the Cocoa Crawl.”
“I’ve been retired for 10 years now, and I feel it’s important to get involved with the community,” he said.
Jeff and Sara DeFrancesca of Kildeer shared hot cocoa with their children Vienna, 4, and Vada, 6.
“We always like coming here for all of the events,” Sara DeFrancesca said. “They do such a nice job. It’s a cute little community. Good shopping.”
Briana Voss of Long Grove sipped hot chocolate with son Bennett, 11.
In talking about the village, she said, “All the school districts are great, there’s a lot of land and conservation is big for Long Grove, so having deer in our backyard is really nice.”
The horse-drawn carriage co-driven by Mike Todd was popular again this year, and was busy with future riders waiting in line for their turn.
Taking a ride around town in the carriage were Paul and Aarn Kossof of Lake Zurich, the parents of Aaron, 6, and James, 5.
“It’s just a wonderful memory,” Paul Kossof said about the Cocoa Crawl. “We love living here. We’ve been here since 2020, and it’s just the most amazing place to live, and events like this bring everyone together.”
