The Garden Club has never looked so delectable!
A family of Garden Club members volunteered to build the campus for the annual Gingerbread Extravaganza, hosted by the Jacksonville Historical Society at the Old St. Andrews Church.
Shawn and Circe LeNoble worked on the project for more than 60 hours. Circe’s mother, Janet Chamberlain, is a long-time Garden Club member as part of the Grove Park Garden Circle and on the Board of Trustees.
Circe and Shawn spent several hours taking measurements on the grounds of the Garden Club, then designed templates and a board where they built the structure.
Circe said the hardest thing to figure out was recreating the flagstone that covers much of the campus.
“As I wandered through Walmart looking for ideas, it dawned on me—slivered almonds and toasting some would give great variation of color,” she said.
They used colored salt for the grass, sidewalk, and road. The bushes are oatmeal mixed with royal icing and food coloring. For the trees, they gave up and used a spray of moss they found at Michaels.
The incredible project received second place for best local structure from the Historical Society judges.
This year marks the 18th annual Gingerbread Extravaganza, which features entries that depict historic buildings from all over the city. It’s an entertaining event and a great way to support the Jacksonville Historical Society. Purchase your ticket today!
You can vote for the gingerbread version of the Garden Club here. Each vote costs $1 and goes to the Jacksonville Historical Society. Check out the video tour of all the entries here.
