Most Obsessive Compulsive. Best Local Landmark. Best Holiday Spirit. Best Traditional Gingerbread House Design. Best Youth Entry. Most Spectacular. These are just a few of the award categories bestowed upon gingerbread builders with creative flair. And patience.

The annual Gingerbread Spectacular, held at the Opera House mid-December for 19 years now, draws curious fans from near and far. They want to be amazed, entertained and, often, awestruck. Fortunately, the event gives them what they want , thanks to those entering the competition. But for many of those, it’s all about the fun and the challenge of making their idea a reality. It has also inspired new baker designers to throw in their hats.

Take Mary Carr, for example, who came up from Waldoboro for the annual Gingerbread class/workshop on Nov. 20 at the Opera House. Kevin Kiley, OH technical director, set desinger and holiday decorator (and a whole lot more, really), is also gingerbread building instructor. This year, 48 signed up and around 40 attended.

“This is the biggest group so far. They ask a lot of questions and sometimes bring their own hints that I have never heard of.”

And each year’s Gingerbread Spectacular sparks ideas in the minds of awed bakers taking in those sweet structures.

Now back to Mary Carr, who attended the last two events with her husband and daughter. “It was so fun, and looked like it'd be fun to do as a family. We read about this (class) and thought we'd come and then might try to make a house this year and enter next year’s competition.”

As I wandered around the tables chatting, and photographing the experienced and novice builders, I was impressed with how focused everyone was about adorning their class gingerbreads, and with more than small candies, pretzels and such; there were trees, candy canes and snowmen.

Ellie Perry of Damariscotta brought her granddaughter Evie Magaro of Bremen along. Like the others, they were completely absorbed with the decorating, carefully piping white icing on their ginger roofs. Evie was finishing up to get to a rehearsal of the Lincoln County Community Theater production, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”

Shared Kevin, “Some people have never done them before. It's new. Other people have made them a lot, but they come to try to figure out a new thing, or they have specific questions. They just turn into kids themselves."

I wandered over to see what Nancy Cressey was dreaming up. I asked her if she planned to enter this year. Nancy was going to try to fit it in among all the other things she had going, including making lots of “chili and stuff” for the chili competition on Nov. 22.

“We'll see just about the time,” Nancy said. “My nephew's in high school now, so he'll be playing basketball, right? Keep me busy, yep, then it'll be concert season here. Before we know it, we'll be back listening to the Boneheads.”

Man! One minute the holiday season is just beginning and the next it’s January at the Opera House and The Boneheads are makin’ music on the Opera House stage.

I moved on to another table where  Eni (Eniko) DeLisle and Hilary Allen of the Harbor Theater were planning a theater gingerbread for this year. Right at this moment I observed Kevin handing out Ginger Spectacular applications. Timing is everything!

Attendees from last year's class returned for more ideas, like Kelsey Leeman of Boothbay. Seems Kelsey, her son, his girlfriend and her young son have held a competition between them for going on year three. “So, it's fairly new. I bought a silicon tray and I’ll make a whole bunch of pieces we can assemble. This year we're gonna go from using kits to different architecture ideas,” Kelsey said. “We introduced Rice Krispies last year. So every year we're just trying to bring just a little bit more skill into it all. And I'm making frosting this year. I feel like this year is gonna be the best year ever!”

And Kelsey told me about a Viking Yule/Winter Solstice Festival at Guini Ridge Farm up Rockland way. Hmmmm. Maybe next year. I already have my Winter Solstice celebration set. Think fire, feast, fun, and drinking and making merry! But that’s a subject for another column this month along with my visit to Stonehenge last month.

As I write this, images of past gingerbreads that I loved are dancing in my head like oversized sugarplums. First one: Susan Brackett’s Cheshire Cat/"We're All Mad Here;" Carla Warren’s “Santa’s Greenhouse” (and pretty much all of her entries); “This Forest Doesn’t Sleep” an earthy design, a tree stump with rings you could count, some kind of time travel window and, on the inside, gingers ‘round a fire watching sap run! And who can forget the “Gingerbread Skate-tacular” from 2019? Gingerbread people skated on a revolving mirror rink, a tall Christmas tree with lights, a large house with an icing pattern that reminded, reminds me of fishnetting. Spectacular indeed!

If you want to enter the competition, you must sign up. Call the Opera House: 207-633-6855.

Do not miss the 2025 Gingerbread Spectacular! Dates and hours for this 19th year are: Friday, Dec. 12 - noon to 6 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 13 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Oh! And remember “Crazy Cat Lady Christmas,” … “The Mice Christmas Eve,” last year’s “Christmas Victorian” ... Those gingerbreads sure can leave lasting impressions ...