The Muskingum County Fairground will be hosting the third annual Storybook Christmas Gingerbread Contest and Family Fun Day on Sunday, December 7, from noon until 5:00 p.m. at the Veterans’ Building (1300 Pershing Rd, Zanesville).
Also involved with the event are the Muskingum County K-9 Adoption Center, Veritas Global Protection, and Scarlet Dealer Services.
The event has grown since it began in 2022, but creating a free, fun holiday family event remains the goal.
“We belong to the Visit Zanesville, the storybook Christmas that they do, and we just kind of got together and thought we would try a gingerbread contest, which we did,” said Fairboard Director Jonna Sharp. “And then we kind of involved the Canine Adoption Center to help them out. And they did rather well. Then we had a guy who wanted to help sponsor the following year. That was last year. And it was really nice. And his thought for this year was to make it bigger and better. So he got another guy that he works with to help sponsor everything. And they’ve paid for everything.”
There are several free activities that kids can enjoy while at the event, such as visiting with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, The Grinch and Max the dog; riding the mechanical reindeer (12+); playing Whack-A-Gingerbread Man; jumping on the Gingerbread Bounce; playing games and winning prizes; decorating an ornament; decorating cookies; and playing corn hole.
Adults can snap pictures of their kids and grandkids with Santa and friends, vote for their favorite gingerbread dwelling, bid on silent auction items, and check out the dogs available for adoption. On-site adoption will also be available.
Free refreshments of popcorn, hot apple cider, cotton candy, and a hot chocolate bar will also be offered. Hot food and baked goods from Brocks Baked Goods LLC will be on hand to purchase.
Additionally, a Tri-Valley Young Farmers Pedal Pull will take place at 1:00 p.m. There is no fee to enter. Sign-ups and a warm-up begin at noon. Rules will be posted at the event, and prizes will be awarded after the pulls.
One of the main events is the Gingerbread contest. Gingerbread dwellings are to be made ahead of time and brought in before the event, December 7 from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. There is no entry fee, but there are some rules to follow.
- 1 House per contestant
- Examples include: barn, birdhouse, doghouse, church, or other dwelling.
- All dwellings must be on a 1/2″ or 3/4″ base no bigger than 18″ x 18″
- No legs on the base
- Base must be completely covered
- All decorations must be 100% edible
- Non-edible decorations can be used to decorate the base only
There will be one winner from three divisions: child ages 5 to 9, child ages 10 to 14, and family (child/children and adult/adults). Prizes will be awarded based on appearance, technique, skill, creativity, and difficulty. The official rules can be found on the Muskingum County Fair website, www.muskingumcofair.com.
“They don’t want anyone to have to pay for anything to come in. They just want people to come in and have fun. Sometimes this is the only thing a family can do for Christmas. They don’t have the money to go someplace and do stuff. So we try to wrap everything up into one event and just let the kids have fun,” said Sharp. “We’ve had a lot of people come up to us and thank us. And it’s just overwhelming to see the joy on their faces.”
The Muskingum County K-9 Adoption Center will be set up to receive donations of much-needed supplies. Right now, they are asking for dog biscuits, pill pockets, collars, leashes, kongs, Jiff or Skippy creamy peanut butter, and blankets. Monetary donations are also welcome.
Additionally, there will be two additional ways to help support the K-9 Adoption Center. A Las Vegas Getaway raffle donated by Scarlet Dealer Service. The package includes four days and three nights at Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas Hotel, airfare for two, and $500 spending money. No more than 300 raffle tickets will be sold. Raffle tickets are $25 each. All proceeds go towards the Griff Fund, which pays for necessary medical expenses for dogs at the adoption center.
A silent auction will also take place, with all money going to the K-9 adoption center. Items are still being accepted. If you would like to donate, please contact Jonna Sharp at 740-819-8747.
“Come out, have fun, and enjoy yourself!” Sharp added.
For questions, contact the Muskingum County Fair at 740-453-3068.