by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
If you visit Old St. Andrew’s, the former Episcopal church near the Baseball Grounds and the Arena, be prepared for the aroma of gingerbread as soon as you walk through the door.
Through Dec. 22, the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville’s “Gingerbread House Extravaganza” has taken over the historic building with 44 examples of creative baking and decorating. The annual event has raised more than $570,000 in donations for local charities since it debuted in 2003.
“We have three weeks to benefit more than 20 organizations, including Ronald McDonald House, HabiJax and the Jacksonville Historical Society,” said Odette Struys, president-elect of the club and this year’s event chair.
Designs run from very traditional to very unusual, like the 4-foot-tall drop of blood covered in thousands of red M&Ms and a rendition of Times Square in New York City crafted of marzipan and sugar.
Coastal Construction Products is marking its 8th holiday season as the presenting sponsor and the Fraternal Order of Police signed on this year as the exhibit’s newest major sponsor, said Struys.
“Gingerbread House Extravaganza” is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. The Rotarians suggest a $5 donation for adults, $3 for children.
356-2466