VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: The 39th Annual Gingerbread Gallery at the Erie Canal Museum
Mason Verdichio: December has arrived in Syracuse, and for the last 38 years at the Erie Canal Museum, that only means one thing. Gingerbread houses. 2024 is no different, as the museums 39th annual gingerbread gallery is in full swing.
Steph Adams: This year, we had 47 people submit their gingerbread houses and creations, which is the most that we’ve ever had.
Verdicchio: That’s Steph Adams, the director of interpretation for the Erie Canal Museum. Adams says they’ve had creators who have been submitting for decades and first-time creators alike. Whether old or young, amateur or professional, everyone can get in on the action.
Adams: There’s a category for professional bakers, but then also a general category, a senior category and a youth category for kids.
Verdicchio: Adams says the gingerbread gallery gives people in the community who normally wouldn’t visit the museum the opportunity to experience work from some of the best creatives in the area.
Adams: I think it’s just a nice time for community members, even if they don’t come here for the rest of the year, maybe history isn’t their thing, that they can still come and enjoy the space.
Verdicchio: At the gallery, not only can you look at some of the sweetest houses on the block, but you can also vote for your favorite one. Visitors to the gallery can choose their favorite gingerbread house among 47 different options about which is their favorite for the People’s Choice Award. My choice? This house right here, featuring Sing by Laura Rankin. What do visitors to the gallery think is their favorite? That’s Syracuse native, Robert Barboni and his wife. The Barboni’s have been attendees at the gallery for decades, and after taking their own kids there when they were little, they now bring their grandson to see the sweet works of art every year. Barboni says his grandson’s smile is what keeps him coming back year after year.
Robert Barboni: I’ve been here many times with my children, now my grandkids. They get joy out of it. So I get joy out of it.
Verdicchio: The gingerbread gallery not only shows off some delicious looking works of art, but also represents the importance of tradition and family, especially during the holiday season. In Syracuse, Mason Verdicchio, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The 39th annual gingerbread gallery is in full swing at the Erie Canal Museum.
Each year, the Erie Canal Museum takes gingerbread house submissions of all shapes and sizes and displays them in their Christmas village on the second floor.
“This year we had 47 people submit their gingerbread houses and creations,” said Steph Adams, the director of interpretation at the museum. “It’s the most we’ve ever had.”
With those 47 different houses come creators of different ages and levels of experience.
“There’s a category for professional bakers,” said Adams. “Then also a general category, a senior category and a youth category for kids.”
Adams believes the gallery gives folks who may not normally see the museum a chance to take in the space with the rest of the community.
“I think it’s a nice time for community members,” said Adams. “Even if they don’t come here for the rest of the year, maybe history isn’t their thing, they can still come and enjoy the space.”
As a part of each year’s gallery, visitors can vote for their favorite gingerbread houses for the People’s Choice Award. This year’s gallery included a Spongebob Squarepants-themed house, a house designed by the Syracuse Orchestra and multiple houses detailing the history of the Erie Canal.
The gallery is open daily until Jan. 12. Admission prices and other information can be found on their website.