2021 - Spotlight on St George Children's Museum

December 10, 2021

Image courtesy SGCM

St George Children's Museum

Stop #1 on gingerbread parade map

86 S. Main Street, St George

Hours: M, W, Th, F, Sat - 10:00-5:00,

Closed Tuesday and Sunday.

So, if you have read the Origins story of the Gingerbread Parade, or if you have just been living around St George for a while, you know that the St George Children's Museum used to organize the St George Gingerbread Tour. That's how I came to find out about the event. Well, the reason they did the event was to fundraise for the museum. They had volunteer bakers make these incredible gingerbread houses and then businesses up and down Main Street and right downtown St George would host them, and then they would all go back to the museum for an auction.

The problem was, after doing this event for several years, they found that it just cost them more than they bought in. So, in 2019, they decided not to do it again.

But in 2018, when I participated as a bidder, and won my very first - really freaking awesome gingerbread house - I was like, this is so cool. Only, I wish I would have known more about this event beforehand. I only just barely heard about it.

So, I decided I would help promote it and make it happen. Imagine my surprise when they tell me, we aren't doing it this year. (2019).

Luckily, I had a lot of free time and decided, I would take up the mantle and I would partner with the Children's Museum to fundraise for them. That first year, it went off pretty well, except that a lot of people didn't go to the businesses to see the gingerbread houses. They just waited until the end event where we brought them altogether to auction them. And then, they didn't bid on them. They just looked and left.

So, I could understand why the museum stopped the event.

But, I thought, this event can stand alone - and it does have a mission. It's Christmas Cheer and Community - it's also an avenue to support our local small businesses. So, that's why in 2020 and this year 2021 - we have eliminated the auction element. You tour St George and visit each business to see the Gingerbread House/Creation and then if you choose to collect stamps on your parade map, you come to the closing event - partnership with Downtown Farmers Market and Junior Entrepreneur Holiday Market to collect a prize for seeing them all.

And what does the St George Children's Museum still have to do with it? I set the event up as a nonprofit organization, and though I do collect donations from participating businesses, and though I use a portion of the funds to pay for advertising and operating costs; I put aside money for funding the Children Museum. The St George Gingerbread House Parade organization supports the Children's Museum. We are community partners!

So, when you come to the Holiday Market tomorrow at Atwood Innovation Plaza, with your completed stamped maps, I will be at a booth together with the Children's Museum and I will be giving out prizes to the first 50 that collected all their stamps. And, I'll be asking the main question: Which gingerbread design was your favorite or most memorable? And Children's Museum will have activities for the kids and free t-shirts! Come play our Plinko Game and win a prize. Donate 50 cents per play!

Listen to holiday music and buy local 😀