PORT TOWNSEND -- At last, the heavy construction projects have ended and the prestige prize-giving can begin.
In a pair of competitions, nearly four dozen edible lodges, cabins, animals and trees have appeared at the Port Townsend Library, 1220 Lawrence St., and at the Jefferson County Library, 620 Cedar Ave. in Port Hadlock. And while people's choice voting is still underway at the county library's annual gingerbread house contest, the winners will become public today at the city library.
This was the 30th annual Uptown Gingerbread Contest, with four categories for builders. Port Townsend Mayor David Faber served as the judge and selected these winners:
People's Choice: "Oribel's Chickshaw" by Sylvie & Robin Errichetti.
Most Creative: "The Raccoon Lodge" by Steve LaFleur
Most Literary: "Discworld" by The Haney Family
Age 12 and younger: "The Kindness Go Round" by the Superhero Kids, Dr. D's second-grade class at Salish Coast Elementary School.
"I was really impressed with the creativity of so many of the entries, and I really struggled to name just one winner in each category," Faber said in a statement.
"'The Raccoon Lodge' edged out the other entries for Most Creative because of its strong and direct relevance to Port Townsend; I selected 'The Kindness Go Round' for the Under 12 category because of the spirit of community and cooperation involved," he added.
All 22 of the gingerbread structures will stay on display -- and perfume the air with their spicy fragrance -- at the Port Townsend Library through Dec. 31. Winners of the contest, which is sponsored by the Friends of the Library and the Port Townsend Main Street program, will receive gift cards from local businesses "and the glory of being a gingerbread master," said Library Director Melody Sky Weaver.
"Our community puts so much heart into each creation," she added.
The Port Townsend Library's hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The building will close for Christmas Eve; on New Year's Eve, the library will shut early at 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, at the Jefferson County Library, the 30th annual "Homes for the Holidays" gingerbread contest shows off builders in adult, family and youth categories.
"The Bear Haven Retirement Home" by Lair Showalter; "Coopville," named after builder Flora O'Shea's dog, Cooper; "Snowy Village" by the Eisele family; "Gingerbread House at the Beach" by the Levin and Pollock families and "The Cloud Library" by Laura Pollock are among the 21 entries.
Winners are chosen by public votes cast on the library's website, https://www.jclibrary.info. Everyone is invited to vote; the prize is the pride that comes with rising to the top of the local gingerbread construction industry.
"The Cloud Library" is a gingerbread structure with a double meaning: clouds representing human hopes and dreams and the technological "cloud" that stores data. This entry is especially fitting for the Jefferson County Library, collections supervisor Kim Tingelstad said. The library, a place for hopes, technology and dreams, is marking its 45th anniversary.
"We also got an entry from the Nordland General Store," Tingelstad said.
"It is spectacular; the photo doesn't do it justice."
Winners will be announced at www.jclibrary.info on Monday. Visitors can view them in person through Dec. 31.
County library hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The library will close early at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
In addition, the public is invited to see the special display of Jefferson County Library history, from its crew and community partners through the years to its many phases of technology. That exhibit will stay through March.
As for the gingerbread, participants may pick up their structures by the end of the month, Tingelstad said, but most do not.
After the contest, the reindeer come and eat everything, she quipped.
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Diane Urbani de la Paz is a freelance writer and photographer who lives in Port Townsend.