January 27, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For additional information, contact:
Debbie Weber
(920) 458-1972
Debbie.Weber@kohler.com

Kohler Foundation Announces Gingerbread Winners

KOHLER, Wis. – January 27, 2017 – The winners of the 20^th annual Gingerbread Festival competition have been announced by Kohler Foundation, Inc. Throughout the month of December, the Waelderhaus was host to a delicious collection of houses, stadiums, barns, vintage Airstreams, flying houses, castles, Hobbit holes, and even classical paintings recreated in sugar. Cash prizes, based on votes tallied from a record 8,700 visitors, are being awarded in six categories. The overall highest vote-getter of the Festival was the creative and detailed depiction of “Hobbit Houses” by Lake Country Academy’s Middle School students.

The first-place winners in each category were awarded $500.  They include:

Pre-school:  Lake Country Academy (4K classes of Mrs. Wagner & Mrs. Elias) “Future City in the Clouds”
Grades K-2:  Lake Country Academy (1^st Grade classes of Mrs. Fricke & Mrs. Nolan) “Swiss Mountain Village”
Grades 3-5:  Kohler Elementary (Mrs. DePagter’s 4^th Grade class) “A White House Christmas”
Grades 6-8:  Lake Country Academy (Mrs. Smith & Mrs. Claypool’s 6-8^th Grade classes) “Hobbit Houses”
Grades 9-12:  Sheboygan County Christian High School (Ms. Brown’s class) “Stadium”
Community Groups:  Hub City 4-H Club (Connie LeClair, advisor) “Snoopy’s House”

Second-place winners earned a $250 cash prize.  They include:

Pre-school:  St. John Lutheran School Plymouth (Ms. Christian’s 4K class) “May Your Christmas BEE Merry”
Grades K-2:  Kohler Elementary (Ms. LaDuke’s 2^nd Grade class) “Trolls: Branch’s Bunker”
Grades 3-5:  Kohler Elementary (Ms. Roeber’s 3^rd Grade class) “Main Street Christmas”
Grades 6-8:  Kohler Middle School (Jon Wheeler’s Art Classes) “Starry Night”
Grades 9-12:  Sheboygan Falls High School (Ms. Meyer’s culinary students) “Santa’s Summer Get-Away”
Community Groups:  AFS- Plymouth Chapter (Diane Gafney, advisor) “World Village 2016”

Third place honorees and recipients of a $100 award were:

Pre-school:  Montessori Children’s House (Mrs. Krause’s 3-5 year-olds) “Children Around the World”
K-2:  Kohler Elementary (Ms. DeAmico’s 1^st Grade class) “Mele Kalikimaka- A Hawaiian Christmas”
3-5:  Kohler Elementary (Ms. Bartelt’s 4^th Grade class) “Christmas Camping”
6-8:  St. John Lutheran School Plymouth (Mrs. MacGillis’ Art Class) “Whoo Loves Christmas?”
9-12:  Cedar Grove-Belgium High School (Mrs. Urness’ Food Science Class) “Waelderhaus”
Community Groups:  RCS Empowers (Aktion Club & Photography Class) “Gingy Comes to Life!”

For more information about the Waelderhaus, upcoming events, and for photos of all the Gingerbread creations in this year’s Festival, visit www.KohlerFoundation.org or ‘Like’ Kohler Foundation on Facebook.

The Waelderhaus is managed by the Kohler Foundation, a private, non-profit foundation that supports the arts, education, and art preservation initiatives.

###