Annual Bonne Terre Cookie Trail still accepting sponsors

The annual Bonne Terre Cookie Trail returns Nov. 10-11, with around 20 businesses and organizations participating and 150 people expected to attend. Submitted photo

What started as a spin-off event by Shari House and Jane Cook is now an annual affair for the people of Bonne Terre. 

Matt Crabtree, executive director of the Bonne Terre Chamber of Commerce, said, “[the event] was a way to get participants to patronize some of our local businesses. We’ve got a small business focus this upcoming month, so it’s kind of a spin-off of some of the others, like the Chocolate Walk. They decided to do a cookie trail.” 

This year, the Bonne Terre Cookie Trail will take place Nov. 10 and 11,  and about 20 businesses/organizations are participating. They anticipate 150 people to participate in the trail. 

“The two years I know they’ve done it, they’ve sold out,” Crabtree explained. “Last year, they were planning on 120 or 125 participants, and they sold out. Participants don’t have to pay anything to participate, they just walk with the bags and fill them up.

“Last year, they had people going out on the Cookie Trail with plastic bags to put their cookies in, so this year, we’re planning on 150. Right now, we’ve got about six businesses that are our sponsors for this – helping with printing the bags, creating the maps, and things like that.” 

A map will be provided to participants to show where each stop (business) will be located, along with their hours of operation. 

“So participants pick up their bag, and they can go along their way,” Crabtree said. “They don’t have to do it in any order or anything. We encourage the participants to hit up businesses on Friday that aren’t open on Saturday. Once they complete their trail and get a stamp from each business, as well, they turn in their maps, and then they are entered in a drawing for Bonne Terre Bucks. They can then use that at any of the participating businesses. This is just a tremendous idea, and one of the reasons we wanted to support it is because these groups are really trying to bring awareness and have people shop local here in Bonne Terre. I just think it’s a great thing for the chamber to get behind and support however we can.” 

The drawing this year is for $100 in Bonne Terre Bucks, and you can still get involved by being a sponsor or an event stop. The sponsorship deadline is Oct. 31. 

For more information or to access the Cookie Trail event form to make a donation or become an event stop or sponsor, contact btccdirector@gmail.com. 

Stephanie Kim is the assistant editor of the Daily Journal. She can be reached at skim@dailyjournalonline.com.