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House party National Gingerbread House Competition has local heart
By hayLEy stEinhaRDt
There’s something about the smell of gingerbread that transports me back to childhood, at home on winter break, baking walls and roof pieces in the oven with my mom and brother, the sweet aroma filling the kitchen as we mixed up batches of colored frosting in anticipation of building our edible creations. In homage to delicious memories old and new and in the sweet spirit of the season, The Omni Grove Park Inn has welcomed competitors from all over the country (and one from Canada) to the 21st annual National Gingerbread House Competition. The contest began in 1992 as more of a fun display of local talent to share with the inn’s patrons than a competition. Over the years, however, it has evolved into a rigorous, competitive event that draws participants from far and wide to vie for awards in the adult, teen, youth and child contests. Still, the heart of the competition remains true to its roots, inspiring people to come together for a fun and creative project in celebration of the season. Hilary Thomas, guest activities and events coordinator for The Omni Grove Park Inn, helps the competitors every step of the way and gets to experience the community that arises around each year’s event. “I’ve been communicating with all these competitors from start to finish, from the moment they turn in their entry form,” says Thomas. “To see them arrive — and they’re so excited — and to see the finished product … you don’t even know each other, but you greet each other with hugs because you’ve been communicating for months. That’s probably my favorite part, just getting to know the competi-
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DEcEmBER 18 - DEcEmBER 24, 2013
joLLy hoLiDay: Lilli McFerrin’s Mary Poppins-inspired entry, “A Spoonful of Sugar,” won third prize in the teen category in this year’s competition. Photo by Haley Steinhardt
tors and seeing that they’re in it for the right reasons.” Every entry arrives with a unique story to tell beyond its crunchy walls and candied accouterments. Special-education teacher Annie Joyce from Reynolds High School, who teaches students with moderate to severe disabilities, entered this year’s competition with her class. “The inspiration behind deciding to do this project was an opportunity for my class to be represented in the community,” says Joyce. “I feel that this population often gets overlooked by society.
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By doing this project as a class, it gives us the opportunity to be a part of a nationally recognized competition. This is a priceless opportunity for each of them.” Joyce’s class has participated in the competition for the past four years. Their entry this year — an outer-space-themed creation — placed in the Top 10 in the youth category. According to Joyce, participating in the competition is one of the kids’ favorite activities. “We all come up with an idea and then go on a shopping field trip to buy supplies,” she says.
For this year’s space-themed creation, Joyce says they used circle molds to make the planets and cakepop molds to make the aliens and reindeer, then dipped the aliens and reindeer in melted chocolate. The students chose different eyes and candies for decorations. “The hardest part for us is working as a team and agreeing on each part,” she says. “The best part is seeing the finished product and knowing how much work everyone put into the house.” Student Kristina Pressley says her favorite part was making the spaceship, while Tyler Ayers and Alexis Strosnider say they most enjoyed decorating the aliens and making the reindeer, respectively. “I liked it when we sprayed the planets with icing to make them different colors,” adds Beth Moseley. Teenager Lilli McFerrin of Black Mountain has been a lifelong fan of building gingerbread houses and is a multiyear entrant to the National Gingerbread House Competition. This year she won third place in the teen category. “I have been making gingerbread houses for as long as I can remember,” says McFerrin, “But 2006 was the first year I entered the competition. … This was my eighth and final year to enter before I go to college. … I sometimes joke by saying that everything I ever needed to know, I learned from gingerbread. Most things I have learned through trial and error, and, over time, I’ve slowly developed a style and a familiarity with the materials and techniques that work best.” McFerrin says making a gingerbread house is a long process, but it is also fun and rewarding. “There are, of course, ups and downs,” she says, “but my favorite part is watching as the 2D picture in my head slowly becomes a tangible, 3D object [that] other people can enjoy. For me, it is all about the joy of creating and the joy of seeing other people enjoying my work.” Joy is the most consistent theme among staff and contestants, but there are also some nerve-wracking moments that arise as part of the process. Tracey Johnston-Crum, director of public relations and community outreach for the inn, says transport-