GINGERBREAD on Main

GINGERBREAD On Main Patti Jo Peterson Managing editor ass County Courthouse looks good enough to eat when its gingerbread replica is displayed at the Kanesville Tabernacle in Council Bluffs, Iowa. C Cass County Attorney Nathan Cox and his wife Erin baked and constructed this sweet replica to be displayed with other Plattsmouth Main Street gingerbread buildings. “Every year they have a gingerbread display,” said Nathan. “This year we thought it was a good idea to do the courthouse.” Stephanie Bridges pitched the idea of making as many of the Main Street buildings as possible for the display. “There were a whole bunch of people participating,” Nathan said. Other participants are Mark and Stephanie Bridges family, Greg and Ginger Hughes family, Justen and Athena Meneses family, Scott and Debi Parks family, Jonathan and Cheryl Robbins family, Carl and Chrystie Sticht family, and Jeremy and Sarah Thompson. Carolyn Rouse is the assistant director for teh tabernacle gingerbread display this year and Bobbie Chappell is the director. Although Erin and Nathan didn’t keep track of the hours spent on creating the courthouse, they know there were many hours involved in the process. “We worked on it over a course of a couple of months,” he said. The courthouse was displayed beside miniaturizations of Cook Cabin and Burlington Northern Railroad car, River House Café, Fitzgerald Hotel, Weber Building and Leonard Building. Nathan shared one of the secrets to his and Erin’s success with the courthouse they made. “You have to get the right recipe for gingerbread. There are specific recipes that are much more durable and harder to work with,” he said. He also noted that the finished structure should not be eaten. “Some people who are extremely talented put the walls and pieces together with frosting. We used a glue gun, so the corners stay strong. The roof is slanted so I actually made a wood roof covered in fondant,” Nathan explained. The windows are also comprised of fondant. “We have toyed with using a sugar concoction, but we just went with fondant. You can use gummy bears or different candy for the windows or you can even order an edible window,” he said. Each clock on the tower was made out of one side of an Oreo cookie. “We also cut out gingerbread arches for over the doorways and windows,” Nathan said. In honor of area veterans, they also included the War Memorial in the display with a cobblestone road next to it. The courthouse is not Nathan and Erin’s first gingerbread creation. “We try to put one together every year for the display. This one was the most challenging. We did one other project that was not as big. We did a lighthouse and used icing to make the lattice work rail. It took a lot of work as well,” Nathan said. Nathan admits Erin does the lion’s share of the work. “She did the mixing of the gingerbread and baking. She also makes the frosting. All I had to do was put it together,” he said. “She’s the brains of the operation. We make a good team.” The Kanesville Tabernacle is a replica, built in 1996, of the original Tabernacle built by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, following the death of Joseph Smith. Church leaders constructed the original 60-feet by 40-feet building in 1847 in two and one-half weeks. It was dedicated Dec. 24 of that year. Unfortunately, the following spring, church leaders discovered the tabernacle was built over an underground stream and the lower logs on the structure were rotting. The rebuilt Tabernacle is used now as a Visitors’ Center where guests can learn more about the Mormon Pioneers and their migration west. n At right, Nathan and Erin Cox created this authentic looking replica of the Cass County Courthouse. Nathan said the two worked on and off on it over two months. n Below, the Sticht family did a wonderful job of recreating the Fitzgerald Hotel. n Above, Mark and Stephanie Bridges family created a gingerbread replica of the Leonard Building on Main Street. n Above, eight local families created gingerbread replicas of buildings on Main Street to display including, from right, River House Cafe by the Greg and Ginger Hughes family, Rohan Photography by Jeremy and Sarah Thompson, Weber Building by Scott and Debi Parks, and Lipstick Boutique by Justen and Athena Meneses family. n At right, the gingerbread train replicas the railroad car at the end of Main Street that sits in front of the Cook Cabin. The train was made by Scott and Debi Parks and the cabin was done by Greg and Ginger Hughes’ family. PHOTOS BY PATTI JO PETERSON/The Journal.

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