This weekend: Chocolate, Colorado wines and craft beers

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Many restaurants will be offering specials tonight to coincide with First Friday, and the Infinite Monkey Theorem winery, at the edge of the Santa Fe Arts District at Fifth and Santa Fe, is even hosting a wine-tasting at 5 p.m. with light bites from Masterpiece Delicatessen. For info, call 970-260-0710 or go to www.theinfinitemonkeytheorem.com.

From 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 8, WEN Chocolates, 1541 Platte Street, the crack house for chocoholics, is hosting a book-signing with Mollie Cox Bryan, whose recently released cookbook, Mrs. Rowe's Southern Pies, includes recipes tested by WEN sous chef Kate Antea. There will be pie samples, of course, many of which will no doubt feature chocolate; for more info, call 720-891-4622.

After you've gotten your chocolate fix on Saturday, you can head to Memorial Park in Woodland Park for the mountain town's annual Jazz, Food and Wine Festival, which combines local music, Colorado wines and bites from area restaurants for $20 per person. Go to www.vinoandnotes.com for additional information.

​And if that weren't enough excitement for one weekend, there's also the Craft Lager Festival, which goes from 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at Memorial Park in downtown Manitou Springs. Aside from being America's first solar-powered beer gathering, the suds fest will showcase craft brews from more than twenty states, including, of course, Colorado. Tickets start at $35 each and all proceeds go toward the greening of Manitou and Colorado Springs. Drink a beer, save a tree!