My good friend, Dare, competes every year in the National Gingerbread House Competition in Asheville, NC at the Grove Park Inn. Last year was the first year I was able to attend and I loved it so much that I wanted to go back this year. Luckily, Haylee's birthday party was the weekend before so I was able to attend.
We left bright and early on Sunday and it started raining the closer we got to Asheville. We were so worried about unloading her piece in the pouring rain but Grove Park Inn allowed the competitors to back up their vehicle under an overhang so they wouldn't get wet. So that was nice. That evening Grove Park Inn had a Meet and Greet for the competitors and their guests.
pretty ice sculpture
On the following day the judges look at the many pieces and makes their decisions. There were more than 150 entries this year, they were judged on overall appearance, originality/creativity, difficulty, precision and consistency of theme. The entries could not be any bigger than 24x24x24 and made of 75% gingerbread. Except for the base, the entries are constructed entirely of edible materials. There were four categories: Adult, Teen (13-17 yrs), Youth (9-12 yrs) and Child (5-8 yrs). The awards ceremony was at 5:30 and competitors start lining up around 4:00. While she was in line I went outside and sat at the back of Grove Park Inn. I love looking at the mountains.
It was hard to get pictures of the mountains since it was late afternoon and the sun was in the back of the hotel. Then I went inside and sat in a rocking chair in front of the massive 14' stone fireplace. It's hard to get a rocking chair as everyone wants to sit in front of the fireplace.
It was so nice and cozy warm. There are two fireplaces in the lobby but only one was lit.Then it was time to head back downstairs for the awards ceremony.
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| all the entries |
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| the judges |
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| Dare's piece |
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| Grand Prize Winner from Wisconsin |
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| Second Place from Tennessee |
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| tied for Third Place from California |
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| tied for Third Place from North Carolina |
There were so many great pieces that I don't see how the judges make up their mind. You can see the winners in the Teen, Youth, and Child categories and all the other beautiful pieces on my Facebook page. I can't wait till next year!
