On weekend before Valentine’s Day, show your love with some chocolate and charity

Sometimes, plans fall through. Despite cleverly written introductions and Facebook event pages, sometimes our weekend plans dematerialize like a puff of smoke just when we’re getting excited.

These five events this weekend, however, are solid.

Chocolate

▪  The seventh annual Chocolate Rendezvous features complimentary homemade chocolate treats along St. Louis Street in Lebanon, also known as “the brick street,” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It’s sponsored by the Lebanon St. Louis Street Merchants Association. For more information, call 618-791-5796.

▪  The third annual Mid-Town Chocolate Crawl in Belleville is sponsored by the Tapestry of Community Offerings. Start crawling at 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 825 W. Main St., Belleville. The event is free. For more information, call 618-257-8626.

‘Run’

The Cupid Undie Run may be the worst-named event ever. Cupid’s Undie Run started to raise money specifically to provide research for the Children’s Tumor Foundation to end Neurofibromatosis. The run in St. Louis on Saturday hopes to raise $50,000.

What do they mean by “Undie”? Well, sure, you can run in your skivvies. Or in your regular running gear. Or, as is clear on www.cupidsundierun.org, whatever. Tutus. Superman T-shirts. Your onesie.

Not only is it not required — at all — for your skin to show, but this run isn’t even a run. You can walk, stroll, skip, or just come for the party. Think you’re the fastest thing out there? Great. But no medals for you — they’ll be celebrating those who raise the most money. The awards ceremony is before the actual run.

Register online for $35 at cupidsundierun.org, or head to Ballpartk Village in St. Louis by noon. The party officially ends at 4 p.m., with the Undie Run being at 2 p.m.

Win

Strategy Board Game Day is a nine-hour event — easy for serious gamers — starting at 1 p.m. Saturday at Southwestern Illinois College’s Belleville Campus. The Metro East Gamers are taking over the cafeteria. For more information, go to www.meetup.com/metro-east-gamers.

Time with your Crush

Confluence Crush Roller Derby has a Trivia Night With Your Crush at 7 p.m. Saturday. Doors open at the Bel-Air Bowl, 200 S. Belt West, at 6 p.m. Tickets can be ordered online at confluencecrush.com. Individual seats for $20; tables of eight are $110.

Bears

Eric Carle’s storybook characters appear in life through puppetry and “striking scenic effects,” according to McKendree University’s website. The Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia: Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Other Treasured Stories comes to the Hettenhausen Center for the Arts on the McKendree campus at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $15 adults, $12 seniors, $5 for students and children and free for McKendree students. Go to www.mckendree.edu/the_hett/current-events.php for tickets and more information.

This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 10:16 AM with the headline "On weekend before Valentine’s Day, show your love with some chocolate and charity."