Livin' in the Blurbs: Chocolate, Cheese and Beer

In the past year we've found out that chocolate is good for your heart, your sex life and your moods. So this coming weekend you can do yourself a world of good at the Fourth Annual Oregon Chocolate Festival in Ashland. Hosted by the Ashland Springs Hotel, it will feature an array of Oregon artisan chocolatiers, wine and beer tasting, restaurants and a gift market. Plus you can add in a play at the Shakespeare Festival without battling the crowds later in the season!

Details: Fourth Annual Oregon Chocolate Festival. Mar. 7-9; $20, tickets available from the Ashland Springs Hotel, 212 East Main St., Ashland. Phone 1-888-795-4545.

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Then a reminder that the weekend after that is the Fourth Annual Oregon Cheese Festival at the Rogue Creamery in Central Point. You'll get a chance to sample and buy products from more than a dozen of the best artisan cheesemakers in the state, as well as select from the labors of several Oregon winemakers and also try other tasty artisan-made items. It's bound to be one of the highlights of the year for cheese-lovers, and if you haven't been down to that part of the state, it's a perfect excuse to explore that gorgeous area.

Details: Fourth Annual Oregon Cheese Festival. Mar. 14-16, 10 am-5 pm; $5 entry fee; $5 wine-tasting fee. At Rogue Creamery, 311 North Front St, Central Point. Phone 541-665-1155 x163.

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That same weekend is Double Mountain Brewery's First Anniversary Party in Hood River. Talk about the horns of a dilemma! They promise to have "special beers, including a new dry Irish Stout on nitro, some oak-aged experiments, and a stashed keg of the elusive Devil's Kriek" as well as "100 pounds of slow-smoked pork BBQ goodness and free live music throughout the day and night." Sounds like a party!

Details: Double Mountain Brewery's First Anniversary Party. Noon-11 pm, Mar. 15. Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom, 8 Fourth St., Hood River. Phone 541-387-0042.