MEDINA: Eight-year-old Jasmine Walker had one word for her parents on Saturday morning: “Yay!”The expression and the big smile on the Copley Township third-grader’s face were all indications of approval for the trip to Medina High School for the annual Chocolate Festival to benefit the American Red Cross of Medina County.The event, in its 15th year, attracts about 4,000 people and raises $35,000 to $40,000. The money is used to help local families dealing with disasters, like fires and flooding; to provide scholarships for classes offered by the Red Cross; and to serve military families. Its primary sponsor is the J.M. Smucker Co.“Besides the fundraising part, the festival is a great way for us to get into the community,” said Terry Killeen, chairman of the Medina Red Cross Board. “This is a great example of community volunteers coming together to support a cause that is going to help Medina families.”The festival featured 40 chocolatiers who offered a variety of items, including truffles, cookies, cakes, fudge, brownies, ice cream and pies. It also included a Children’s Candyland with games, and a Decadent Chocolate Dessert contest for hobby and professional cooks.The first-place winner in the professional category this year was Peggy Barry of Just Desserts. Barry, who has participated at the festival since its inception, won for her Guinness (beer) Torte.“There’s probably almost a pitcher of Guinness in there. There’s Guinness in the cake, Guinness in the ganache layer and Guinness in the frosting,” Barry said. “I was looking for something different and it is amazing how much the Guinness deepens the flavor.”Not only was Barry’s dessert a hit with the judges, but people attending the festival cleared her table within the first half of the four-hour event. While Barry was packing up to leave, other vendors continued to distribute their chocolate treats, including Earth Fare, which participated at the festival for the first time.Earth Fare, an organic supermarket in Fairlawn, was offering vegan (no dairy, no eggs) chocolate cake.“It’s actually pretty good. I like it, ” said Bill McCarthy of Columbus, who came to the festival with a friend.While McCarthy was satisfied, Jasmine didn’t want any part of the vegan cake, which sounded too much like vegetables. Her eyes sparkled and her smile reappeared when her father opened the container filled with chocolate treats she had selected to take home. “I’ve got a chocolate doughnut, some candy,” Jasmine said. “My favorite is the chocolate-covered strawberry. I’ll eat it last.”Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com.