MILLERSBURG, Ky. — Mustard Seed Hill is more than a national historic landmark this time of year. The area transforms into a picture-perfect Christmas card to host the annual Gingerbread House Competition
What You Need To Know
- Mustard Seed Hill is the site of the annual Gingerbread House Competition
- Over 40 contestants competed this year
- Bakers and artists submitted their work, all of which had to consist of edible materials
- The final products will be on display through Dec. 23
Visitors from near and far flock to Mustard Seed Hill in Millersburg not to just see the holiday lights – they come to see the creativity of local bakers as they roll out the “dough” in the hope of winning some dough themselves.
"It's like a Hallmark moment. You have music in the background. You have these amazing lights, the 30-foot ribbon arch, the walk-through ornament," said Shawn Burns, president of Mustard Seed Hill. "You just stroll this historic grounds and it's really a lovely premium experience, but it's family friendly too at a $5 price point to enter. It's appealing to everybody."
Burns said the competiton is in its third year, and the latest iteration had over 40 contestants vying for the top spot;
"We had people driving up from Knoxville, some pastry chefs. It's a major part of coming out here," Burns said. "You see the lights, but you also get this chance to be inside our beautiful spaces and see these amazing gingerbread houses."
Gingerbread creations of all shapes and sizes are on display in the historic Allen House and McIntyre Hall at Mustard Seed Hill. Judges from the local community were tasked with judging each entry based on its overall appearance, originality and creativity, neatness and stable structure.
Most importantly, each house could only be built with edible materials.
"This is my stained-glass church," said gingerbread artist Jamie Kaczr. "I came up with the idea last year and my main thing was I wanted to have beautiful stained-glass windows. I found a church that's actually in Macon, Georgia that I base this one off of."
For Kaczr, building this gingerbread cathedral was much more than a labor of love. It was a test of patience and steady hands.
"The Saturday before I turned it in, I think I spent about 16 hours straight working on it, so probably greater than 40 hours at least," Kaczr said.
That dedication helped Jamie earn a cool $1,000 in prize money as she walked away with a first-place ribbon.
"I'm actually planning to buy a pottery wheel because I like doing pottery," Kaczr said. "I want to have a studio in our house. That's my next thing I want to do."
The opportunity to showcase creative skills while constructing a festive gingerbread house is something every bakery-artist dream of. Each of these masterpieces bringing delight to those that see them.
"Oh, it's unbelievable. They're extravagant," visitor Susie Stivers said. "They're wonderful. They're beautiful and a lot of labor and hard work went into them."
"The amount of talent and time that it took to make these houses is just incredible," another visitor, Valerie Morrison, said.
All of the hard work has earned the winners across several categories nearly $8,000 in prize money. The gingerbread treasures will be on exhibit through Dec. 23 at Mustard Seed Hill.