The Annual Gingerbread House Contest - Part 1

One of my favorite annual events is the gingerbread house contest at TAUNY, Traditional Arts In Upstate New York, located in Canton, the St. Lawrence County seat. It happens every December, so I drove to Canton and parked out front:

Inside, they display and sell artwork and crafts from local people, including Native Americans and the Amish:

There is a special emphasis on history and old time crafts, in the hope of preserving and perpetuating them for future generations:

This violin playing chainsaw bear is not for sale, but a regular fixture and is generally right next to where music groups perform on special occasions. That's why there is a tip jar there:

There are many shelves full of items by local artisans and a space upstairs for group activities:

I have purchased many Christmas gifts here:

There isn't much that local people don't make. We are a creative people in the north country:

But I had come to see the gingerbread house contest display and I spotted it just past the elevator doors, perfectly lit for taking photos. The theme this year was "Fairy Tales and Myths:"

The first entry was Rapunzel, letting down her hair from the tower. It had been awarded second place in the "Children up to age 11" category:

A view from another angle. Both the turret and the pine trees were made from ice cream cones. The judges remarked on the clever little pond, complete with Swedish Fish:

Little Red Riding Hood was the next entry I came to. It won first place in the adult category. The judges remarked on the pink cottage, the perfect trees, the wolf (before it ate Grandma) and Little Red's cape. They also liked the decorative swirls on the cottage and the icicles hanging from the eaves:

This entry was titled "Hansel and Gretel and the Snow Family." I never found out who the Snow Family was, but of course I was familiar with the story of Hansel and Gretel. This creation won first place in the "Children up to age 11" Category. The judges remarked on the roof shingles and the wreath over the door. There were lots more entries yet to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: