Making gingerbread houses at the Millbrook Firehouse

MILLBROOK — The tables at the Millbrook Firehouse were filled with serious gingerbread house decorators Friday evening, Dec. 11. Sponsored by the town of Washington Recreation Commission, this annual event attracted community members, including children from toddlers to teenagers, to decorate 160 gingerbread houses made by Lyde Biscardi, retired baking professor at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.

Warren McMillan, town of Washington recreation director, said the gingerbread event is “one of the few events for the whole family� that the recreation commission offers. He explained that the idea was to “bring back Christmas when the whole family sat around a table together.�

Participants brought bags and boxes of their own sweet decorations and were supplied with frosting “plaster� to attach the candy to the houses. This is the third year of gingerbread decorating for Madeline Ruuge of Millbrook, although she’s only 6 years old.

“We’ve been the oldest kids here for the last five years,� said the Ouimet sisters, Rita, 16, Julia, 17, and Audrey, 13. Their younger brother, George, 12, worked happily beside them. Deanna Wohlford, mother of Rachael, 13, and Leah, 5, said her family comes every year.

Florence Prisco, town of Washington supervisor, helped her grandchildren. “There is no such thing as an ugly gingerbread house,� she said.

At 7:30 p.m. a drawing took place for the gingerbread castle contributed by Biscardi, master gingerbread house maker. Sevda Sarmineva, 9, of Millbrook drew Joann Regan’s name from among the raffle tickets. Proceeds from the raffle will go toward high school scholarships.

The next family winter activities the Recreation Commission will offer are family ice skating on Sundays, 2:15 to 4 p.m., at the Millbrook School rink, and family movie nights Jan. 8, Feb. 5 and March 5 at 7 p.m. at the Guertin gym.

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