NEW BERN, NC – Come be a part of Downtown New Bern’s Beary Merry fun with an entry in New Bern Historical Society’s 3rd Annual Gingerbread House Contest! Downtown merchants are ready to display your Gingerbread Imagination. Let it go! The only rule is that it must be edible. Your creation doesn’t even have to look like a house! Find all the information and forms at www.GingerbreadNewBern.com or call New Bern Historical Society at 252-638-8558 or drop by 511 Broad Street. But remember, your entry needs to be in by November 11. Completed houses will be displayed at selected downtown merchants November 24-December 20.
You are invited to enter as an individual or work at as team. There will be four categories for contestants: Youth (up to 14), Adults, (age 15 and up), Family (a combination of Youth and Adults) and Professionals (bakers, chefs, caterers, cooks, professional engineers, artists etc.) There will be cash prizes up to $150 and all who enter will receive a hand-crafted pottery ornament prepared by the Potters of New Bern Art and Wellness Center and of the students of Mrs.Connell’s Art Program at H.J. MacDonald Middle School. In addition to an award in each category, there will be a $200 prize to the entry that best reflects the “Historic New Bern Christmas” theme. That award, the Nancy Chiles Heritage Award, is named in honor of long time Board member and Gingerbread supporter, Nancy Chiles. There is also a People’s Choice Award. The public will be asked to vote on their favorite, and the prize will go to the entry with the most public support. Entry fees are $5 for Youth, and $15 for all others. The deadline to enter is November 11th .
Information and forms can be downloaded at www.GingerbreadNewBern.com . Mail them, email them, or bring them in to the Historical Society Office at 511 Broad Street. For lots of imagination tickling ideas, follow our Facebook Group, Gingerbread New Bern!
Historical Society Executive Director Mickey Miller is excited to see this event continue. “Downtown New Bern during the holidays is a magical place to visit. As we recall holiday traditions of the past, we hope that the sight of colorful and creative gingerbread houses in downtown business windows will connect the past with the present.”
Submitted by: Kathy Morrison, New Bern Historical Society