Belleville Gingerbread Contest winners announced
If you want to see the winners in this year’s Belleville Gingerbread Contest, take a trip downtown where they will be on display in shop windows.
Donna Rorabaugh won the Best of Show award and $1,000 for her creation titled “Fairy Pond.” The prize money for this category was sponsored by Art on the Square.
Overall, the winners in the 30th annual contest won over $4,000 in prize money.
Here are the rest of the 2019 winners:
Master’s category
▪ First place, $600: “Christmas Wishes & Gingerbread Kisses” by Amanda Landers
▪ Second place, $300: “Samuel Stewart Watson House” by Sarah Durham
Category sponsored by Downtown Development/Redevelopment Commission and the Belleville Exchange Club.
General category
▪ First place, $300: “Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church” by Vanda Loughary
▪ Second place, $200: “Spirit Totem” by Suzanne Kugler and Teresa Hessel
▪ Third place, $100: “50th Anniversary” by Remijan Family
Category sponsored by Hoernis Auto Body and Hospice of Southern Illinois.
Holiday category
▪ First place, $300: “Christmas Eve in the Park” by Patricia Keim
▪ Second place, $200: “Thankful Harvest” by Missy Underwood
▪ Third place, $100: “Holiday Season on Easter Island” by Ira Gentry
Category sponsored by Belleville Chamber of Commerce
First-time entrants category
▪ First place, $300: “Gnome Fairy Village” by Dawn Hunt
▪ Second place, $200: “Santa’s Train” by Chris Walton
▪ Third place, $100: “Childhood Memories of Christmas” by Sheila Lally
Category sponsored by Memorial Hospital/BJC.
Children’s categories
Best of show, $100
Maitret Family, “The 3 Little Pigs”
Kindergarten to fifth-grade
▪ First place, $75: “S.S. Clark” by Liam Clark
▪ Second place, $50: “Candy Land” by Johanna Hartin
▪ Third place, $25: “Toasted Ravioli for the Holidays: by Sophia Remijan
Sixth- to 12th-grade
▪ First place, $75: “Glistening Gazebo” by Hanna Crask
▪ Second place, $50: “Holiday Inn” by Maddie Thompson
▪ Third place, $25: “Welcome to Whoville” by Olivia Underwood
Children’s group
▪ First place, $75: “Girl Scout Camp” by Girl Scout Troop 87
▪ Second place, $50: “Girl Scouts” by Girl Scout Troop 412 & 571
▪ Third place, $25: “Girl Scout Camp Teamwork” By St. Teresa’s Girl Scout Troop 100
All children’s categories sponsored by Busey Bank.
Special awards
▪ Mayor’s Choice Award, presented by Mayor Mark Eckert:
Suzanne Kugler and Teresa Hessel for “Spirit Totem”
▪ Celebrity’s Choice Ribbon, presented by John Pertzborn of Fox 2 News:
Vanda Loughary for “Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church”
▪ SWIC Pick Ribbon, presented by Culinary Arts & Food Management Department:
Autumn Tapen for “Onceler’s House”
▪ Hallmark Award Plaque, presented by St. Clair County Historical Society:
Sarah Durham for “Samuel Stewart Watson House”
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 9:14 AM.
