For Community News Service, a VTSU-Castleton internship, for Lakes Region Living
RUTLAND — The nostalgic smell of gingerbread filled the air of the Chaffee Art Center in Rutland for the annual Gingerbread Contest on Saturday, Dec. 6, where Executive Director Sherri Birkheimer Rooker and her 8-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, Luigi, waited for the community to join them.
With various stations in each gallery room, the Chaffee offered card making, name ornament hanging, Christmas cookie decorating, and most importantly, the Gingerbread Contest display featuring five entries this year.
One of the creators, Jessicca Rentcome, spoke about her interpretation of this year’s unique theme.
“This year’s theme was “heARTful,” so I thought about what would be a good representation of showing heart, and I came up with a greenhouse!” said Rentcome, creator of the “Grow As You Go” house. “It takes so much time and effort to tend to each little plant in a greenhouse, especially during the winter, and then the work to ease them back out. Definitely a labor of love!”
Community members were immediately greeted by Rooker upon entering the Chaffee, who then walked them through the layout of holiday festivities. Attendees wore a smile when their rosy cheeks felt the warmth of the inside, especially after hearing about all the tasty sweet treat samples being offered.
“Eating the cookies!” a young girl at the cookie decoration station responded when asked her favorite part of the event.
Another boy agreed.
“Probably eating cookies,” he said through a green frosted mouth that had a half eaten candy cane hanging out of it.
The entries are displayed in the center of the Chaffee and visitors can vote on their favorites until Jan. 3.
“That is precision, how do they do that?” a community member said when viewing the table of house-shaped gingerbread.
Phoebe Forman, creator of “Home is Where the Art is,” explained how she made her house with her daughters and it didn’t take them too long. They started by reviewing the themes and brainstorming ideas, then sketched out a design, listed the supplies they would need, and made their own cookie templates before assembling and decorating their masterpiece.
“The pictures on the wall of their house read, ‘Artist so-and-so painted this painting on the wall,’” Rooker said through a long laugh. “It was very creative and funny.”
“The most terrifying part is driving it from Brandon to Rutland and hoping it holds!” Forman said.
For Rentcome, this was something she could cross off her bucket list, as she had zero experience. She explained how she checked out a gingerbread house book from the (Rutland) library, followed by a lot of YouTube videos.
“I used Jolly Ranchers and gelatin sheets for the windows and then made meringues for the trees and snowman,” she said. “Everything else was royal icing, coconut, meringues, graham crackers, and Oreos, stuff you’d have in your pantry already!”
Rooker has been reflecting over the years on how she can grow her love for gingerbread house making. She said she has many ideas for next year’s contest, like a cake decorating contest and silent auction. Her main goal is to get more young people involved and to communicate that building is not that hard and a fun thing to do. She hopes that she can get young people inspired to improve each year.
“I think people feel the Chaffee when they come in, and feel what we have created,” Rooker said with a smile. “I think they really enjoy it, especially the kids.”