Gingerbread Festival Returns to Dedham Dec. 13

Amateur bakers and gingerbread house lovers rejoice; Dedham’s 2nd Annual Gingerbread House Christmas Festival is happening Saturday, Dec. 13.

The event will take place from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. at Dedham’s Fellowship Church on Milton Street and will feature a town-wide gingerbread house competition as well as free food, drinks, story readings and craft activities, according to a press release.

“The moment we moved to Dedham, we fell in love with the community, and immediately wanted to start giving back to the entire town with events like Trunk or Treat, as well as the Gingerbread House Christmas Festival, which we’d like to become an annual tradition for years to come,” said Fellowship Pastor Stephen Johnson. Johnson, along with his wife, Sonia, and three daughters will help host the event.

Local celebrities including State Rep. Paul McMurtry and New York Times best-selling author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds will serve as judges and will be joined by other judges to be announced later.

All registered participants will receive a ribbon and three prizes will be awarded in three categories: adult (ages 18 and up), teen (13-17) and youth (12 or under.) All entries will be judged on five criteria: Overall Appearance, Originality and Creativity, Difficulty, Precision, and Consistency of Theme. The winning entries will be displayed prominently in Dedham after the festival.

Awards will be distributed at about 4:40 p.m. on the day of the festival.

Individual and team entries are encouraged. Registration and contest guidelines for the Gingerbread House Competition are available at www.fellowshipchurch.org/gingerbread, by emailing Stephen@fellowshipindedham.org or by calling 781-326-3033.

Dedham Savings has once again generously underwritten the costs of the event as lead sponsor, with additional support from Oakdale Square Alliance.