Locals compete in gingerbread contest
A gingerbread house in front of a gingerbread windmill. (John Dowd/Clark Fork Valley Press)
Husband and wife, Tracey and Angela Muse, work on their gingerbread houses, hoping to crush their competition this year, last Friday night. (John Dowd/Clark Fork Valley Press)
Darin Anderson and his daughter Ivy, work on her gingerbread house, last Saturday afternoon. (John Dowd/Clark Fork Valley Press)
Friday in the Plains Doghill Bistro coffee shop, several locals gathered to compete in a craft requiring both ingenuity and skill: gingerbread house building.
Seven people came in from the weather to drink bourbon maple hot apple cider and to try to build the best gingerbread house that they could. This was the second year that the event has been held for adults.
In previous years the event has occurred only for children, however the adults were getting jealous Kathy Logan of the Bistro said.
“We have done this for about five years with the kids and the adults started saying that they wanted to do it too, so last year was the first year we tried it and it was a hit,” said Logan.
Participants had to pre-register, to assure that there was not too much or too little gingerbread made, and they paid a $20 entrance fee. This participation fee covered the cost of the gingerbread, candy and hot cider.
All of the gingerbread was made by the Bistro’s baker, Bryan Brooks. Brooks made about 14 big sheets of bread and had been working on them for part of the past week.
As he explained it required “hours and hours of rolling.” The effort was worth it, as locals explained that they look forward to it, now every year.
The adult’s creations would, when finished, be up for a people’s choice award, earning the winner a $10 gift certificate to the Bistro.
Participants could make whatever they wanted and were provided with the gingerbread, candies, sugar, chocolates and anything else that they may need to create their masterpieces.
There was even a gingerbread windmill made, to celebrate Dutch Christmas. After the winner was chosen the creations would be displayed until Saturday evening, after the kids’ competition, when they could be taken home by the participants.
Saturday, the children got to compete for $10 and the candy for them was donated by McGowan’s.
For the kid’s competition, each kid was provided a pre-made house to decorate and there was a “building inspector” who would find the best part of each kid’s house.
Each kid earned a prize and got to keep their gingerbread house.