2023 Gingerbread House Contest
Registration is officially open for The Floyd Country Store’s Fourth Annual Gingerbread House Contest! Contestants can register online at www.floydcountrystore.com until Nov. 28, 2023. The contest is free and open to the public.
Every year, the Gingerbread House Contest brings community members of all ages together to showcase their creativity in the spirit of the holidays. Gingerbread houses are displayed downtown during the month of December. Winners are announced at the end of the month, with prizes donated by wonderful local businesses.
Contestant categories are Youth, General, and Business. Kids are encouraged to enter their own creations into the Youth category (13 and under). Local businesses are invited to participate and be represented in our Business Category. All other contestants should register in the General category.
Contestants are encouraged to be creative with their entries as long as they are completely edible and fit on a 22” x 22” platform. Gingerbread House kits are only allowed in the Youth category. All General and Business category entries must be made from scratch.
“I love seeing what people come up with each year,” says Retail Manager Deb Baum. “There’s so much creativity and artistic skill in the Floyd community, and we love being able to put it on display for the holiday season.”
Community members of all ages and skill levels are encouraged to participate.
Participants in the gingerbread house contest can register online by November 28, and bring creations to the Floyd Country Store during business hours between December 1-5. The houses will be displayed in the windows of the Floyd Country Store, The Soda Fountain, and other downtown businesses to be admired from outside through December 24, with votes cast by the community online before December 20. Winners will be announced on December 21, with excellent prizes donated by local businesses.
Award categories include General, Youth, Popular, Judges’ Choice, Creative, and Business. All categories besides “Popular” will be judged by a panel of local community leaders. Panel judging will take place Dec. 7 – 20, 2023.
Winners will be awarded prizes donated by The Floyd Country Store, The Soda Fountain, Cocoa Mia, The Bell Gallery and other local businesses. Businesses interested in donating a prize, volunteering their downtown windowspace to showcase gingerbread houses, or entering a gingerbread house on behalf of their business can email maggie@floydcountrystore.com or deb.floydcountrystore@gmail.com.
“Our Gingerbread House contest continues to bring our Floyd community together every year,” says owner Heather Krantz. “From the contestants to the businesses that donated prizes, we’re really pleased with community involvement every year. We look forward to carrying on this tradition every December.”
All contestants can learn more or register at: https://www.floydcountrystore.com/event/2023-gingerbread-house-contest
The Floyd Country Store, located in Floyd County, Virginia, has been a cornerstone of the Floyd community since 1909. As part of The Crooked Road and Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, The Country Store serves as a community-centered cultural hub that hosts a variety of old-time and bluegrass musical acts to honor and preserve the extraordinary music of the Appalachian region. In collaboration with Handmade Music School and County Sales, The Floyd Country Store strives to build and strengthen community by creating a sense of belonging and engagement through music, dance, storytelling, and traditions.
