Rooftops drip with delicious frosting. Peppermint swirls bloom in gardens. All of this can be found in the gingerbread village fit for a gingerbread king, currently on exhibit at Capitol Hill Library, 334 S.W. 26th.
This is not the library’s first year to build the miniature candied community; it has done so for several years, but grown over the last two into the size of a pingpong table. Besides iced and sprinkled houses, this year’s display features a marshmallow igloo, an animated gumdrop factory, a swing ride, candy cane trees and a lollipop forest.
The sweet-toothed builders were children who decorated the houses during their free time at the library, said Kim Terry, Metropolitan Library System marketing and communications director.
“We went through tons and tons of icing,” Terry said. “The kids just loved it.”
Phil Tolbert, library manager of operations, served as the official confectionary municipal designer. Most of the non-cookie decorative pieces, like the real train and the carousel, come from his personal collection.
“We have a very family oriented community and this is a great way to get the children involved in the holidays,” he said in a press release.
Visitors, unfortunately, will not be allowed to taste the village, which is on display through Friday.
Capitol Hill Library is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 634-6308 or visit www.metrolibrary.org. —Sara Custer
