Wintergreen enjoys sweet success with Family Gingerbread Festival

The Wintergreen Arts Center quickly filled Saturday morning with families who were eager to take part in a festive holiday tradition: making gingerbread houses.

Wintergreen hosted its 10th annual Family Gingerbread Festival as one of many holiday events that encourage community and family togetherness.

Families received one or more pre-purchased gingerbread houses as soon as they walked in and stood in line at the candy buffet, where children chose decorations for their houses. All gingerbread kits, which included the pre-assembled houses, two gingerbread people and royal icing, had sold out at $20 each before the festival.  

The gingerbread was baked by the culinary arts students at Loring Job Corps and the pieces were put together by Wintergreen staff, board members and volunteers two nights before the event.

Christmas music played in the background at Wintergreen as children took their seats and began adding their own creative touches to the houses.

“It’s Christmas,” Madeline Durepo quickly responded, when asked why she was excited to be at the gingerbread festival. Her mother, Libby Durepo, smiled while she carefully spread icing along the roof of Madeline’s house. Madeline’s older sister, Claire, concentrated hard on her gingerbread house and often went back to the buffet for more candy as she thought of new ideas.

“Christmas is a really magical time of the year for the children and Wintergreen makes it so special by decorating for the season and letting the children use their imaginations with these houses,” Libby Durepo said.

On the other side of the room, siblings Zoe and Jake Ala lined gumdrops along their gingerbread house with a little help from their mother, Charlotte Ala.

“I like decorating the house,” Zoe Ala said.  Within minutes she and Jake had a finished gingerbread house, complete with icing, candy canes, and a gumdrop “chimney” on the roof.

Some families purchased more than one gingerbread house so that each of their children could decorate one. Carlee Wood filled the side of her house’s roof with wafer cookies while her sister, Megan Wood, preferred gumdrops.

“The best part is being together and watching them decorate,” the girls’ mother, Jen Wood, said.

The Family Gingerbread Festival has become one of Wintergreen’s most anticipated events of the holiday season. Families got to choose between three sessions, which began at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.  A total of 60 gingerbread houses sold, raising $1,200 for Wintergreen. Staff used $150 of that amount to pay for items such as table coverings, frosting and miscellaneous expense, leaving $1,050 to benefit the center. Proceeds from the fundraiser allow the center to continue operating arts-based programs for children and families in Aroostook County.

Children were all smiles as they left with their finished houses and a Gingerbread Boy book, courtesy of volunteers from U.S. Cellular.

Wintergreen Board Member Kayla Buck noted that hosting the festival allows families to enjoy each other’s company while the children decorate the gingerbread houses and pass down the love of holiday traditions to the younger generations.

“I was excited to see the expressions on the children’s faces when they saw how much candy there was to choose from on the buffet,” Buck said.  “A lot of parents made gingerbread houses when they were young and now they want to share that with their kids.”

According to the Wintergreen Arts Center Facebook page, tickets are still available for both weekends of their next event, Polar Express, on Dec. 8, 9, 15 and 16.  To purchase tickets, drop by the center, call (207) 762-3576 or go to https://msad1.coursestorm.com/.