Christmas trees frame the inside the historic sanctuary of Old St. Andrews Church for the 21st annual Gingerbread Extravaganza. | Dan Scanlan, WJCT News 89.9
Published on December 7, 2023 at 3:59 pm
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Young Charlie Odenwald was quite pleased when he spied a tag on the gingerbread creation he and his family had made, with Santa piloting a train around a candyland village.
His family’s contribution is one of 32 sweet creations on display inside the historic sanctuary of Old St. Andrews Church for the 21st annual Gingerbread Extravaganza. It won the “Best Traditional – Youth” award from the Jacksonville Historical Society.
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The idea came from a gingerbread village he saw at last year’s event.
“It looked exactly like this,” the 9-year-old boy said after grandmother Jennifer Bacmeister pointed out the award tag, remembering how careful they had to be over its monthlong build.
“Making sure everything was visible, that all the Christmas trees and candy canes and chocolates could be seen,” he said. “I feel pretty good because last year, we got fourth place.”
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Meanwhile, Kelly Brenner showed off her Merry Mischief creation — six snowmen cavorting around, one with its head rolling near a gingerbread centerpiece topped by an angry-faced cookie. It was her second time at the longtime event, and she said this one was a bit of a challenge to create.
“There were two different times where things were falling off, and I was just like, am I really going to do this? But I really enjoy building,” the Ortega woman said. “The idea of merry mischief came because a lot of people go the traditional route, and a lot of people go the sweet route, and I like seeing snowmen in a snowball fight and I like seeing sort of the creepy fun and funky alternative version of the holiday season.”
The Gingerbread Extravaganza is the major fundraiser for the Jacksonville Historical Society’s educational programs. It runs inside the Gothic-arched nave of the 134-year-old Old St. Andrews Church at 317 A. Philip Randolph Blvd.
The Rotary Club of South Jacksonville started the event in 2003 as a fundraiser to benefit other nonprofits, including the Historical Society, and the society began hosting it in 2010.
“The gingerbread event has become a beloved Jacksonville tradition for over two decades now, and I guess you might say it’s old enough to drink,” Bliss said. “I am always dazzled because, of course, I am somebody who has zero talent for this sort of thing. But some of these are just overwhelming.”
There are a somewhat fewer creations inside the church this year, as some creators backed out and one design had a partial collapse, society members said.
“We aim for quality, of course, and we are grateful for everybody who participated in this year’s show,” Bliss said. “We have some extra features this year like educational information and resources about our music history project, and historic photos being made available to look at — we have a collection of prints available for purchase as gifts.”
A model railroad chugs around the center of the main display, which includes a massive gingerbread airliner, icing-covered Grinch and Whoville cookies, gold-flecked marshmallow nutcrackers and Twinkle the Tooth Fairy’s flower-decked house.
The winner of Best Fantasy was Sara Aicher’s gingerbread barn, with detailed fondant elves in little green hats harnessing miniature reindeer for a probable Christmas Eve ride as tiny icing pigeons peck at seeds, and a snowman is under construction.
Called a “Flurry of Excitement,” this is Aicher’s ninth display at the gingerbread event.
“I like the show, and it is a nice way to contribute over the holidays” she said. “There’s a lot of people who really enjoy this, and it’s part of their holidays.”
The event opens to the public on Friday, after Wednesday night’s premiere for the creators, judges and others.
If you go
The full schedule for the extravaganza, which ends Dec. 27, is here.
Tickets include a tour of the Merrill House Museum next door. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for military and seniors, and $5 for children 4 to 12. The event is closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and closes for the season on Dec. 27. Tickets should be purchased in advance here.
