Ethel M Chocolates’ 25th Annual Holiday Cactus Garden Lighting Photos
Last night nearly 5,000 locals and visitors attended Ethel M Chocolates’ 25th Anniversary of their annual Holiday Cactus Lighting, which featured special guests Penn and Teller, singer-songwriter Matt Goss, the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Travis Cloer, and singers Jaclyn McSpadden and Paul Johnson.
The event brought in hundreds of monetary and material donations to local charities Three Square and Help of Southern Nevada, in addition to Ethel M Chocolate’s most recent partner, CARE® International.
Locally renowned radio personality of Mix 94.1, Mercedes Martinez kicked off the evening of festivities with holiday carols sung by student choirs of Clark County School District. Chet Buchanan of 98.5 KLUC later joined the stage in honor of his work with Help of Southern Nevada, to present representatives from each charity with the general manager of Ethel M Chocolates, Oren Young:
· Michelle Beck, Chief Development Officer at Three Square
· Sonali Rohatgi, Senior Director of Development at CARE International
· Fuilala Riley, President, and CEO of HELP of Southern Nevada
Each entertainer brought unparalleled energy to the stage as thousands of onlookers waited for the finale: Penn and Teller’s dramatic flip of the switch, turning on over a million energy-efficient lights in Ethel M Chocolates’ three-acre cactus garden.
Guests wandered through the garden enjoying hot chocolate and hand-dipped chocolate treats from the brand-new Ethel M Chocolates’ outdoor food truck and posing for photos inside the life-size inflatable snow globe. Members of the Vegas Ballet Theater’s upcoming show, The Nutcracker, and the cactus garden’s Santa also posed for photos as hundreds entered the Ethel M Chocolates’ flagship store to sample chocolate and purchase limited-edition holiday treats.
The holiday cactus garden and factory store are open November 6 – January 6, from 8 am – 10 pm, with the exception of Christmas day. Please visit their website to find out when Santa will be present. For more information about each performer’s upcoming shows, please visit their websites online.
About Ethel M® Chocolates
Ethel M Chocolates are manufactured by Mars Chocolate North America, dedicated to creating authentic chocolates with no preservatives. Ethel M Chocolates are available in multiple locations throughout Southern Nevada, online or by phone at 800-438-4356. The Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Botanical Cactus Garden are located at 2 Cactus Garden Drive in Henderson. For more information on the Botanical Cactus Garden, events, store hours, locations and ordering products, please visit us online or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
About Mars, Incorporated
Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history-making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world’s best-loved brands: M&M’s®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN’S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency, and Freedom – inspire its more than 85,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.
For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
