Downtown Ashland has officially entered its main character era, where the soundtrack swells, the villains don’t dare to even lurk in the shadows, and destiny arrives wrapped in milk chocolate. The Gonna Be Golden Chocolate Bar Hunt is unfolding like a K-Pop Demon Hunter saga — dramatic, joyful, and powered entirely by community love.
The mission is simple but the thrill is real: four Golden Tickets are still hidden somewhere downtown, waiting for the next hero to discover them. Each participating business is guaranteed to hold a Golden Ticket among their Gonna Be Golden bars, which means every stop is a new chapter. If you don’t strike gold right away, consider it an invitation to linger, explore, and fall a little more in love with everything Ashland has to offer.
Barry Farmer of The Barry Farmer Morning Show happened upon their Golden Ticket at Ash & Olive
Already, a few legendary moments have been written into Golden Ticket lore. Ashland Dance Academy sold out of their bars at lightning speed, where a tiny dancer with unmistakable star power uncovered the Golden Ticket and chose to exchange it for a $50 gift card to Tiny Tim’s Trains & Toys. Ash & Olive set the trend, selling out completely on their first night when a crowd of neighbors poured into the delicious restaurant. When Barry Farmer of The Barry Farmer Morning Show happened upon their Golden Ticket and claimed the Ash & Olive gift card reward like fate itself had tuned in.
When Wagner Jewelers sold out of their chocolate bars, their Golden Ticket found a thoughtful home at Chirp, where the winner stocked up on bird seed to help feathered friends flourish through the winter months. Over at Miss Timmie’s, the Golden Ticket winner leaned fully into the moment, using their prize to select beautifully curated antiques that felt as timeless as the story itself.
Now, the spotlight shifts — because the hunt is far from over.
Miss Timmie’s Golden Ticket winner
At Homemades by Suzanne, a full basket of chocolate bars remains, along with a Golden Ticket waiting patiently among fresh fare, boxed lunches, catering favorites, gift baskets, homemade breads, and bakery treats made from scratch with love. Just down the street, RefunkIt hums with creative energy, offering carefully chosen funk, handcrafted art, and gifts from Virginia and beyond, plus a still-undiscovered Golden Ticket tied to a mystery prize guaranteed to be one of a kind.
Tiny Tim’s Trains & Toys continues to feel like a wonderland straight out of a collector’s dream, filled with toys and model trains in Ashland’s historic downtown, and with a few bars still left, the next Golden Ticket reveal could happen at any moment. Chirp, beloved for its special formulas, feeders, and all things birding that support native species and backyard habitats, has already awarded its prize — yet its Golden Ticket remains hidden, quietly waiting for the right person to notice.
Adding a bold new beat to the story, Los Regios Tienda Latina has joined the hunt with their own stack of Gonna Be Golden Bars and a Golden Ticket just waiting to be found. A visit there promises far more than chocolate alone, with warm fresh tortillas, international candies, heavenly pastries, groceries, colorful piñatas, and festive party supplies filling the shelves. Their highly acclaimed food truck adds another layer of magic, serving authentic Mexican dishes that transport taste buds straight to the heart of Mexico for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Ashland Dance Academy golden ticket winner
Once a Golden Ticket is discovered, the ending is yours to choose. Winners can redeem their ticket for a free month of dance classes from Ashland Dance Academy, the ultimate Homemades Snack Pack from Homemades by Suzanne featuring chicken salad, rolls, and chocolate chess pie, or a $40 basket of heartfelt treasures from Take Away, Ashland’s newest card and gift shop. Those drawn to the unexpected may find their way back to RefunkIt, where a mystery prize awaits — eclectic, thoughtful, and impossible to duplicate.
Joining the adventure is easy. Simply visit participating downtown Ashland locations, pick up a Gonna Be Golden milk-chocolate bar, and scan the QR code on the back of the Minuteman Press of Ashland wrapper to pay — or hand over cash if you prefer. Every purchase doubles as a donation to Downtown Ashland Association, supporting free community events, entrepreneur resources, and powerful media that continues to uplift Ashland’s Main Street.
This golden saga is made possible thanks to the generosity and creativity of sponsors Ashland Dance Academy and Minuteman Press of Ashland, who donated their talents to bring the Gonna Be Golden Chocolate Bars to life. With every bar purchased, shoppers become part of the story — champions of small businesses, believers in community, and heroes in a downtown worth celebrating.
The bars are disappearing. The tickets are hiding. The music is building.
The only question left is whether you will be the next to go golden in Downtown Ashland.