North Lake Tahoe SnowFest - 03/01/13 - 03/10/13

No such thing as too many marshmallows!

North Lake Tahoe SnowFest

Various Locations near Lake Tahoe, CA

SnowFest is a collection of events in and around Lake Tahoe, many of which involve food...so, what's not to like?

This year's culinary happenings include a Pub Crawl sponsored by Captain Morgan, Firefighters Pancake Breakfast, and a zany Extreme Food Challenge with increasingly odd morsels to force down your throat.  Competitions like the Ice Cream Eating Contest and Bloody Mary Masters Competition are sure to offer plenty of gastronomical entertainment.  Feel full just reading this?  Burn some extra calories by participating in the 37th Annual Great Ski Race or become a human bowling ball as you race down the slopes in your sled during Wacky Winter Bowling.

Just thinking about Tahoe at this time of year makes me cold.  Hot chocolate, anyone?

Capay Valley Almond Festival - 02/24/13

It'd be nuts to skip this event!

Capay Valley Almond Festival
Capay Valley, CA

The annual Almond Festival showcases what five little towns surrounding Cache Creek Casino have to offer.  Stop along the way.  Buy from local growers and vendors.  Stay a while!  Those slot machines aren't going anywhere.

When the Esparto FFA takes time to point out their Pancake Breakfast "includes sausage", that should be reason enough to partake.  If you're watching your waistline, sign up for the Fun Run or Golf Tournament instead.

With hayrides and petting zoos for the kids, olive oil tastings and baking contests for the adults, as well as three fire station open houses for the singles gals, there's bound to be something for the whole family.

Chinatown Community Street Fair - 02/23/13 - 02/24/13

Feeling lucky?

Chinatown Community Street Fair
San Francisco, CA

San Francisco's Chinatown is much more than just fortune cookies and unmanned sidewalk vegetable displays that depend on little more than the honor system; it's a world of colorful sights, pungent aromas of duck fat and ginger, and brilliant spectacles such as lion dancing, which is far more impressive than the similar-sounding line dancing.

All of the above are part of the Chinatown Community Street Fair, held the weekend of the Chinese New Year Parade.  With nearly half a million attendees, the fair boasts a number of cultural activities such as kite making, puppet shows and calligraphy demonstrations.  Stroll the streets while popping in and out of Chinese markets, bakeries and tea shops.

Acrobats and magicians round out the entertainment, although I prefer to entertain myself with my own Char Siu Bao-eating contest, party of one.

Bay Area Travel & Adventure Show - 02/16/13 - 02/17/13

When Rick Steve talks, people listen!

Bay Area Travel & Adventure Show

Santa Clara, CA

Attending the Bay Area Travel & Adventure Show is like inviting the Travel Channel, Food Network and PBS into your own living room - and they all bring brochures and tons of candy.

Whether you're an avid traveler, fan of cook-off competitions, hoarder of freebies, or someone looking for hidden treasures in your own backyard, you'll find what you need here.  Dozens of informational booths will help you plan your next year's worth of vacations, and guest speakers such as Rick Steves offer tips on how to make the most out of your experiences. Watch as chefs whip up their favorite dishes and compete in culinary competitions, or take a more hands-on approach by hopping on a Segway or whizzing by on a zipline.

Stick around for the raffles - you may win a trip to Berlin, Turkey or the Falkland Islands.  Then, go to the Falkland Islands booth to find out where the heck that is in the first place.

For the Love of Chocolate and SweetArt Fest - 02/09/13

Dessert first!

For the Love of Chocolate and SweetArt Fest
Escondido, CA

The city of Escondido is the former home of the Repository for Germinal Choice, a sperm bank believed to have accepted donations strictly from Nobel Prize winner.

This has nothing to do with downtown's annual For the Love of Chocolate and SweetArt Festival, but it is an interesting fact nonetheless.

Festival options include paid admission for chocolate and alcohol pairings or free admission to the vendor and music area known as Sweet Street.  A couple tall ones from the Coronado Brewing Company may provide enough liquid courage to ask that pretty girl to take the horse-drawn carriage ride with you; after all, you never know when you'll need to compete with the likes of a Saul Perlmutter or Liu Xiaobo. Feel free to Google those now.

Lodi Wine & Chocolate Weekend - 02/09/13 - 02/10/13

Your cork collection begins here.

Lodi Wine & Chocolate Weekend
Lodi, CA

If ever there was an event perfect for entrepreneurial types looking to earn some extra cash as designated drivers, this would be it.

Lodi Wine & Chocolate Weekend celebrates the underrated bounty that is Lodi wine country.  Throngs of people will descend upon more than 40 wineries, barrel tasting and snacking on chocolates as well as savory (and mostly meaty) appetizers for those with less of a sweet tooth.  Each winery will pull out all the stops, attempting to outdo each other with live bands, photo booths and amazing giveaways.

Speaking of giveaways, at participating wineries you'll have the chance to win prizes such as a Wine Country Getaway if you unwrap the Golden Ticket a la Charlie Bucket.  Don't worry, you won't have to bring Grandpa along.