By Kelly White
The holidays are and what better way to get into the spirit of the season than by decorating a gingerbread house?
The Oak Lawn Public Library, 9427 Raymond Ave., invited residents of all ages to join in on the fun by participating in the second annual Gingerbread House Contest, a battle of sweet creations from all over the neighborhood, whether they were built as a team by families, or solo masterpieces. It was a delicious competition for fun prizes.
“The library is not only a place to find books, movies, learning toys and household items to borrow,” Mary Donovan, Youth Services Librarian at the Oak Lawn Public Library, said. “It’s also a place to find community and share our creativity. The Gingerbread House Contest was one of many library programs for adults, teens, kids and families that foster sharing and creativity in a joyful way.”
Beginning the first week of December, entries could be submitted directly at the library and divided into three categories—Youth, Teen, and Adult. Each gingerbread house could have a footprint no larger than 18 by 18 inches. There was a limit of one entry per category, and all entries had to be submitted by Dec. 11.
Every submission received a coupon for two free delicious cupcakes at Simply Sweet Creations at 5712 W. 95th Street in Oak Lawn.
“We were so lucky to collaborate with Simply Sweet Creations,” Kate Donley, Adult Programming Librarian at the Oak Lawn Public Library, said.
This was the second year Youth Services has held a Gingerbread House Contest, and it was the first year the contest has expanded to include the Adult and Young Adult departments.
“We like the idea of inviting our patrons to share their holiday creations,” Donovan said. “Even those patrons who don’t make a gingerbread house could enjoy viewing others’ creations and voting on their favorite.”
As Donovan said, patrons had the following week to take in the holiday magic of each and every house, and vote on their favorite in each category before the winners were revealed on Dec. 19.
The top three families in the Youth category took home a super-cuddly 12-inch Squishmallow, and winning teens and adults received a gift card.
Adriana Gomez, owner of Simply Sweet Creations on 95th Street, served as a guest judge, awarding a chef’s choice award in the adult and teen categories.
“It was fun to see the variety of ideas and materials our patrons brought to the contest,” Donovan said. “There were a lot of creativity on display, and it was fun for us in Youth Services to see the kids get excited about bringing in a gingerbread house to share, and to see the kids oohing and aahing about the gingerbread houses they see in the department, and to see the kids taking time to vote for their favorite one.”
The library also offered programming to go along with the gingerbread theme. The Youth Services Department hosted a ‘Can You Catch the Gingerbread Man?’ escape room for children and the Adult Services Department offered take-and-make kits with gingerbread recipes and spices. The spices were generously donated by Oak Lawn’s Royal Family Roasters, and each kit contained a free Simply Sweet Creations cupcake coupon too.
There is also a gingerbread-style model of the original Oak Lawn Little Red Library on display in the library’s Local History department.