Port Gingerbread Festival, Inc.

Entries in the Port Gingerbread Festival ranged from the purely fantastic to the very realistic. This local landmark rendered in 100% edible materials was truly spectacular to behold!

Saving the Tower gingerbread by Mike Dissette et ux. On exhibition Dec 8-10, 2023, at the Port Gingerbread Festival in Newburyport, Massachusetts

It's taken "Team Gingerbread" a few days to recover after the excitement of the first Port Gingerbread Festival, but you have waited long enough for the announcement of all the winners and photos of their stunning creations, so here we go! All photos are by Barbara Dowd with the exception of the last one (Boy Scouts working on their creation).

Winners of the contest were as follows...
- The Adult category popular vote went to "Christmas Train Station" by Carla Warren of Hampton, NH; the adult category judge's vote was awarded to the “Benten-do Shrine, Daigo-ji Temple" by Christine Young of West Newbury, MA.
- In the teen category, both the popular vote and judge's award went to “Flower Shop” by Nicola Borbone, assisted by Cam Therrien.
- The Family/Multi-generational winner was “Custom Gingerbread House Maritime Museum" by Elizabeth and Silas Rankin of Newburyport (judge's award & popular vote).
- Finally, in the youth category, the Scout Troop 251 of Newburyport won for "Summer Camp" (judge's award & popular vote).
Many, many congratulations to the winners and to all the creators whose dedication and creativity delighted visitors (who numbered over 1,000!) and made the event a success!

Last chance to see the amazing gingerbread creations everyone in Newburyport is talking about! Today, 1-4 pm. Be there to hear the result of the popular vote at 3.45 pm!

Last chance to see the amazing gingerbread creations everyone in Newburyport is talking about! Today, 1-4 pm. Be there to hear the result of the popular vote at 3.45 pm!

Countdown to the festival - 0 days left!

Today is the day. The volunteers are busy arranging the most artful gingerbread displays while the esteemed judges start their evaluation of the entries at 2 pm. The exhibit opens to the public today at 4 pm and your chance to meet the artists is from 5.30-7 pm. Judges awards will be announced at 6 pm tonight, and the popular voting will take place throughout the weekend.

Come on down to downtown Newburyport!

Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - 1 day left!

Check out Mary Dissette, founder of the Port Gingerbread Festival, and Paul Harrington, president of the Greater Newburyport Village, with Newburyport's Mayor Sean Reardon on today's episode of The Mayor's Corner. This show is always a great recap of everything you need to know about what is happening in the city, but if you're short on time or up to your elbows in royal icing, you can skip to 12:50.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5-RPM-AiuY

A note to all the gingerbread creators out there: How is it going? Are you panicking yet? Don't worry... we all are! Just keep going and it will turn out great. Drop-off started this afternoon from 4-7 pm, but if things are taking longer than you anticipated, you can still take advantage of the last chance delivery tomorrow from 12-1.30 pm.

Newburyport Mayor's Corner - December 7th, 2023 Link to audio version: https://on.soundcloud.com/imHeGGENERAL DISCLAIMER: All opinions expressed by the Program Participants are solely their current opinio...

Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - 2 days left!

PGF would like to thank our many colleagues from other local non-profits who have helped this Festival come into being. We appreciate all the generous advice, information, and help with publicity and outreach you have extended to this new enterprise. We hope to see many of you at the Festival this weekend.

Anna Jaques Hospital Aid Association
Newburyport Boy Scouts Troop 251
Custom House Maritime Museum Newburyport
Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School
Girls Inc. of The Seacoast Area
Newburyport Community Media
Museum of Old Newbury
Newburyport Art Association
Newburyport Arts Collective
Newburyport Choral Society
Newburyport Recreation and Youth Services
The Actors Studio of Newburyport
Theater in the Open
Tinkerhaus Community Makerspace
YWCA Greater Newburyport

Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - only 3 days left!
(A note to creators: How is it going? Are you panicking yet? Don't worry... we all are! Just keep going and it will turn out great.)

A jubilant George Bailey says at the end of the film It’s A Wonderful Life, "Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building & Loan!” All of us at Team Gingerbread are equally ebullient in our sincere thanks and appreciation of Newburyport's Institution for Savings, our 2023 Lead Sponsor. https://www.facebook.com/InstitutionforSavings/
As you can see in the photo below, our beloved Gingerbread Jack got into the spirit, stopping by the Institution for Savings on State Street in Newburyport to say a la George Bailey "THANK YOU, YOU WONDERFUL INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS!"

Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - only 6 days left!

Not all houses are made of gingerbread, and the folks at Wellsco Realty in Newburyport may have explained to Gingerbread Jack when he stopped by recently to thank sponsor Marisa Stevens at
Wellsco Realty for the generous support of the Port Gingerbread Festival that they generally specialize in the non-gingerbread variety. Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping to bring the Port Gingerbread Festival to life!

Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - 7 days left!

We are so grateful to three more generous sponsors - The Dojo, Graf Architects and Winfrey's Fudge & Chocolates for their support of the first Port Gingerbread Festival coming up in just one week.

Gingerbread Jack is so excited to get onto the mat with his White Belt! First lesson learned: respect for the Senseis and his classmates. A deep bow of gratitude to The Dojo in Salisbury for generously supporting the Port Gingerbread Festival, which also takes its first step this year in what we hope will be a journey of a thousand steps.

Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - 8 days to go!

Gingerbread Jack is excited to see our banner over Atkinson Common, flying right next to the banner of our esteemed Newburyport Choral Society. “It’s old and new traditions together!” he is imagined to have shouted. “The Choral Society was founded in 1934, and the Port Gingerbread Festival sets sail in 2023!” If you’re going to the NCS concert on the 9th or 10th, plan on a sweet half hour before the concert to enjoy gingerbread display at Central Congregational Church, just 5 minutes away from the concert venue.

We've hit single digits in the countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - only 9 days left!

Since yesterday was "Giving Tuesday", today we're highlighting that any proceeds in excess of the festival's expenses will be donated to the Among Friends Meal Program at St. Paul’s Church in Newburyport. Since 1983, Among Friends has been providing free and nutritious prepared meals in a safe and welcoming environment to all in the community seeking food or fellowship. For more information, see: https://stpaulsnewburyport.org/among-friends
Admission to the festival is free, but donations are encouraged!

Are you hard at work on your gingerbread creation? Here is another progress picture, shared by the head of "Team Gingerbread" Mary Dissette!

Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - only 10 days to go!

Today we would like to take the time to thank three of our sponsors - Atria Merrimack Place, The Candy Man, and Nancy Peterson of J. Barrett Realty. Thank you for contributing to making the festival a success!

Picture: Gingerbread creator Christine shared with us this progress photo, prompting us to wonder "What possibilities doth this potent palette portend?" Join us Dec. 8-10 to find out!

Time’s running out -- only 11 days to go for the Port Gingerbread Festival! Register your creation by December 3 to compete for prizes and glory. Since it's Cyber Monday, we know you're already online, so just navigate on over to the PGF website for registration info! https://www.portgingerbreadfestival.org

Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - 12 days left!

These gnomes are enjoying some cold ones at Yule Brewing, but I'm sure you're hard at work on your gingerbread creations for the Port Gingerbread Festival. Did you attend the Tinkerhaus Community Makerspace event this afternoon and decorate your very own gingerbread house? Do you have photos to share of your works in progress (either from the Tinkerhaus event or otherwise)? If so, please share them with us at [email protected] so we can cheer you on as you help us make the first gingerbread exhibit and contest in Newburyport a huge success with your creativity and enthusiasm.

It's Small Business Saturday... Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - 13 days left!

Festival sponsors Jack and Jim Biagioni greeted Gingerbread Jack with open arms when he visited their beautiful shop The Candy Man on Pleasant Street in Newburyport. Did you know that they are generously offering a 20% discount on hard candies to folks entering the Port Gingerbread Festival contest?! Thanks, Candy Men, for supporting this community event!

Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - 14 days left!
Did you do any "Black Friday" shopping for gingerbread house materials?

There are a couple of key rules for the contest, including those related to the size and stability of the gingerbread creations. But without a doubt the most important rule is "Everything must be edible except lights." That includes the "glue" (a.k.a. royal icing) that holds the house together and all of the decorations, both classic candies and sugars as well as other foods like beans, nuts, or crackers and cereal. Whatever is edible and can help you bring your vision to life!

Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - 15 days left!

We are so THANKFUL for all the members of “Team Gingerbread” working hard to put this festival together, for our presenting sponsor Greater Newburyport Village and all of our sponsors, our host Central Congregational Church - UCC - Newburyport MA, our volunteers, and our community. Thank you, thank you, thank you on this Thanksgiving day!

Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - 16 days to go!

Are you interested in volunteering for the Port Gingerbread Festival? Please check out the sign up from the festival website and consider getting involved in the “fun for fun’s sake” holiday event! Gingerbread Chewbacca says “thank you!”

Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - 17 days to go!

Registration is open through December 3, but don’t wait. Reserve a spot for your gingerbread creation today.

There are five categories for the competition:
I. Families or multi-generational groups which include children under 13
II. Youth Groups
III. Teens (ages 13-19) individuals or groups
IV. Adults (ages 20 & up) individuals or groups
V. Masters (professionals & amateurs who choose to compete at this level)

And there are prizes for the winners!

Countdown to the Port Gingerbread Festival - 17 days to go!

Registration is open through December 3, but don’t wait. Reserve a spot for your creation today.

There are five groups for the competition:
I. Families or multi-generational groups which include children under 13
II. Youth Groups
III. Teens (ages 13-19) individuals or groups
IV. Adults (ages 20 & up) individuals or groups
V. Masters (professionals & amateurs who choose to compete at this level)

And there are prizes for the winners!

Gingerbread Jack stopped by City Hall yesterday to give Mayor Sean Reardon a couple of “tips” for giving the building the royal icing treatment. The Mayor invited PGF to join him for his Mayor’s Corner on December 7. Stay tuned!

Holly, a member of Team Gingerbread, shares this photo of a past gingerbread creation she made as an invitation to you... Please share photos of your gingerbread creations that you have made in the past or a photo of your work-in-progress for this year’s contest (as long as it doesn’t spoil the surprise)! Send photos to us at [email protected] and we will share them in future posts!

Our call is out for gingerbread bakers & builders & beginners, artists & architects & amateurs! Let us help you take the first step toward gingerbread greatness -- a solid foundation!

The candy buffet is open! A no-school day on Friday called for a gingerbread building workshop hosted by Girls Inc. of The Seacoast Area. Their completed masterpieces will be unveiled at the Port Gingerbread Festival, Dec 8-10.

Our posters are up! Have you seen one out and about in Newburyport yet? Bravo to for her lovely illustration and graphic design.

If you are looking for ways to learn more about the Port Gingerbread Festival, you're in luck!
PGF has been burning up the airwaves of our local media here in Newburyport! Check out this recent show featuring PGF founder Mary Dissette and The Greater Newburyport Village president Paul Harrington!

SHOW 470 - 11.4.23 Kevin Hunt, Veterans' Service; Mary Dissette and Paul Harrington - Port Gingerbread Festival

Congratulations to the winner of the Port Gingerbread Festival giveaway Meghan Heald! We hope you get something fabulous with your gift card from Tendercrop Farm and we thank you for helping us to spread the word about the upcoming first annual port Gingerbread Festival December 8-10!