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GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 4:10 pm
by kcdcchef
Since some of you on here communicate with me outside the friendly confines of our little forum here and asked me to do this, I have decided to do so, post pictures of GingerBread Lane 2006-2007, my annual creation I do.

Here is a shot from the corner showing off the GumDrop Row subdivision of GBL.

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Here is an arial shot of it from above, showing off the gigantic size of the layout. I was actually disappointed in the amount of dead space I left.

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The honors that come with being married to the gingerbread chef, getting storefronts named in your honor.
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The Cinnamon and Nutmeg Railroad, an annual part of the village.
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This was a new one this year, a photograph of myself with Santa Claus. This guy really does think he is Santa Claus, making comments and remarks like "It was too warm this December, had the wheels down on the sleigh all month", and "Yeah, this is my offseason home away from the North Pole, but I miss my workshop". Perhaps persons like this gentleman are so darn at being Santa because they really believe they are.
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Another arial shot, kind of showing the in between the pillars action a little more. That clock tower weighs almost forty pounds!
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An off and on part of GBL, The Plum Pudding Hotel.
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The main commerce section of GingerBread Lane, which is titled Peppermint Central Park.
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The front marquis welcoming guests to the Lane.
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In all honesty, the probable future of GingerBread Lane, brick and stone gingerbread houses. Here done red brick with Big Red chewing gum. I say the future because our little planet is warming up, giving us hotter winters, and doing gingerbread with humidity is a royal pain in the rear, it gets so darn soft, the dough that is, but icing always remains hard. So I will be doing a lot of the more iconic structures, the clock tower, hotel, etc, covered in icing completely so the structure can stand up to the humidity.
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EggNog Bay, where the mill, lighthouse, white chocolate lake, and sailboats are. My mom oft wonders why grandpa, my spouse, my mother in law, etc, all get houses and she does not, but I told her that when I added EggNog Bay, the first new part of The Lane to be added in 9 years back in 99, that I did so for her love of maritime stuff.
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Toffee Boulevard, houses made with Werther's and Toffiay candy, kind of the ying to GumDrop Row's yang.
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Another GingerBread Lane mainstay, Cecil's Pie Bakery, in the name of my grandfather I hold so dear. He has always been flattered by this act I do for him, and I continue to do it every year I put up the Lane.
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And lastly, the oldest part of GingerBread Lane, the clocktower.
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Hope those of you who asked to see this enjoy looking at it as much as I enjoyed doing it. The only reason I do GingerBread Lane, and the only thing I get out of it, is to see people enjoy looking at it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Merry Christmas, and Shalom Chanukkah to all!

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 5:57 pm
by GRID
very cool chef!

I'm going to go have a glass of milk now...

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 6:05 pm
by Tosspot
Very caloric.

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 7:09 pm
by nota
Really nice.

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 10:39 am
by bahua
That is awesome. You must be very happy to finally get some rest.

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 10:55 am
by kcmetro
Wow, I got constipated just looking at that thing.

Nice work though. Really intricate!

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:41 pm
by mean
Nice work, chef. I don't know if they do it every year, but the Westin and Hyatt chefs worked together on a (much smaller scale) gingerbread village on display in Crown Center. It's not bad, but yours is on a whole different level.

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:54 pm
by bahua
The downtown Marriott had a very nice display too.

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 8:29 pm
by kcdcchef
bahua wrote: That is awesome. You must be very happy to finally get some rest.
very conflicting actually. when you get to the point i am at now, the day after christmas, knowing the tear down day, new years day, is less then a week off, and all your efforts are finally culminating for the last time, it is sad and yet fulfilling all at the same time. especially starting the planning for 2007, i have already started that, scouting for a location, buying candy, getting ready to draft a design, it really does take a year round effort to make it happen.

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 10:10 am
by Slappy the Wang
Is the display still up and where is it?  My kids would get a kick out of it.

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 11:53 am
by kcdcchef
Slappy the Wang wrote: Is the display still up and where is it?  My kids would get a kick out of it.
it is right up the street from where you live, about 8,700 blocks, aka, in pittsburgh, pa.

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 1:07 pm
by Slappy the Wang
kcdcchef wrote: it is right up the street from where you live, about 8,700 blocks, aka, in pittsburgh, pa.
Keep a light on for us.  It'll take about 23 hours to drive not including rest stops and diaper changes.

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 2:32 pm
by Roanoker
I don't know how you do all that work. What happens to the edible materials after tear-down? Does anyone ever swipe anything while the display is up? There's so much there, you may not even know.

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 2:36 pm
by kcdcchef
Roanoker wrote: I don't know how you do all that work. What happens to the edible materials after tear-down? Does anyone ever swipe anything while the display is up? There's so much there, you may not even know.

i know because i go repair daily!! usually i get 4-500 candy canes ripped off, as the display is lined around it with close to 1,000.

actually, tomorrow afternoon i stage a give away and give all the houses away, takes about 2 hours. GRID actually helped me design a bulletin for it!! thanks buddy!

anyone wanna help with the poster now??

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 3:28 pm
by bbqboy
cool stuff, chef.
you really seem to enjoy it.

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 5:32 pm
by KCMax
kcdcchef wrote: Here is an arial shot of it from above, showing off the gigantic size of the layout. I was actually disappointed in the amount of dead space I left.
Well your village does need some surface parking lots, otherwise, where would gingerbread men park???

Very impressive. Have a happy new year.

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 5:55 pm
by bbqboy
It's a Pittsburgh Gingerbread town, not a KC Gingerbread town. It needs a tram.

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 3:25 pm
by bahua
bbqboy wrote: It's a Pittsburgh Gingerbread town, not a KC Gingerbread town. It needs a tram.
If it's a Pittsburgh Gingerbread town, where's the gingerbread vertical railroad?

Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:22 pm
by kcdcchef
The line to get a free gingerbread house on New Year's Day was close to 70 people deep, it was amazing. There had been a sign up since Thanksgiving advertising free houses to whomever, first come first served, on January 1st from 2-6. Even I was beyond amazed at the response it netted!

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Here I am with a sweet girl who was the first in line, waited 3 hours to get her pick, and took one of the simplest houses! Still, she was adorable!
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Here is what was left at 3:30, the give away was supposed to last 4 hours, it did not even make it 2. Started with 121 houses, and gave away all but 3, saved one, and 2 were falling apart, darn the luck.
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Re: GingerBread Lane 2006-2007

Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:45 pm
by GRID
Damn chef, have you lost weight?

That has to be the best part of the whole project, giving them away...