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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Saving soles ... Former TV game-show host Jim Perry dies ... Central Medford celebrates Thanksgiving with dinner, shopping-cart floats ... Saving soles ... Former TV game-show host Jim Perry dies ... Central Medford celebrates Thanksgiving with dinner, shopping-cart floats ... 2015 WINNERS 'My Secret Garden' claims top prize in GingerBread Jubilee Comment By Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune Follow @@thewholedish MailTribune.com By Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune Follow @@thewholedish Posted Nov. 19, 2015 at 10:25 AM Updated Nov 20, 2015 at 10:39 AM By Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune Follow @@thewholedish Posted Nov. 19, 2015 at 10:25 AM Updated Nov 20, 2015 at 10:39 AM » RELATED CONTENT --> If you go What: GingerBread Jubilee, an annual exhibit benefitting Craterian Performances; admission costs $3 per person When: 10 a.m. ... » Read more X If you go What: GingerBread Jubilee, an annual exhibit benefitting Craterian Performances; admission costs $3 per person When:  10 a.m. to 6 p.m.   Saturday  through  Monday, Nov. 21-23 Where: Collier Center for the Performing Arts, 23 S. Central Ave., Medford For more information: Call 541-779-3000 or see www/craterian.org/support-us/gingerbread-jubilee/   • 2015 GingerBread Jubilee Baking Contest » Social News After years of satisfying her son’s whims with elaborate constructions in cookies and candies, Rebecca DiCero found her “private sanctuary” in gingerbread. DiCero’s “My Secret Garden” rose above other competitors in the annual GingerBread Jubilee, claiming the top prize of $1,000 Thursday. The winning piece, along with 54 others, are likely to raise more than $100,000 for Craterian Performances, elevating the benefit’s cumulative proceeds past the $1 million mark over its 13-year history, said Maureen Esser, the Craterian’s development and communications manager. Gingerbread pieces headline the Jubilee’s sold-out gala auction. The entirely edible sculptures will be displayed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday through Monday, Nov. 21-23, at the Collier Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Medford. Ticket sales for the community tour also help to bankroll the nonprofit Craterian’s operation. The spectacle draws crowds from around the region and participation from bakers throughout Jackson, Josephine and Siskiyou counties, said Esser. Several times a Best-of-Show winner, DiCero came up short in recent years spent focusing on the efforts of her son, Rafe Hill, now 11. The mother-son duo placed in the group category at several Jubilees, including in 2009 when DiCero’s "Welcome to Downtown Saurasville," based on the children’s television series “Dinosaur Train,” won Best of Show. DiCero bowed out of competition for several years to sponsor the Jubilee with classes at her now-shuttered baking boutique, Sweet Stuff. “It’s something I get to do for me,” said DiCero, a 46-year-old professional baker, adding that some of her winnings will pay for a much-needed massage. An elegant woman “enjoying the quiet” with a book and plate of macarons is at the center of DiCero’s tranquil landscape, shaded with trees, screened with vines and draped in wisteria. A hard-candy fountain, benches constructed of royal icing and animals modeled in fondant are among the painstaking details in DiCero’s 2-foot-by-3-foot piece. “I kind of prefer to do something out of my imagination." Movies, books, video games and pop-culture icons frequently inspire Jubilee participants. “Star Wars” propelled student baker Josiah Arthur, of Medford, to first place with its $500 cash prize. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” earned third place and $100 for Samantha Hyde, of Medford, and Janelle and Madeline Shumway, of Ashland, in the student category. Second place and $250 went to Lily Cusumano of Cave Junction for her “A Winter Wonderland.” A snow-shrouded, classic Christmas cottage conceived by Tara Buscher, of Grants Pass, once again won over judges, who awarded it first place and $500 in the adult category. Buscher’s “House of Snow: Deux,” entered with niece Laney Burridge, is “pretty and delicate,” just like the duo’s first-place piece in 2014. “The whole thing is about snowflakes,” said Buscher, 50. “I pictured it in my mind.” “Sweet Surprize,” by Donna Sesock, of Central Point, won second place and $250 in the adult category. “The Mouse Market,” by Grants Pass resident Naomi Bell, took third place and $100. In the mixed-age group category, “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,” by Ashland Classical Conversations Home School representatives Jillian Brown and Heidi Patterson, won first place and $500. Second place and $250 went to “Gingerbread Festival of Trees” by Christopher, Lana and Sheryl Hyde of Medford. “Inside a Gingerbread Head,” submitted by Ashland residents Summer, Edahlia, Taelynn and Ben Helm, won third place and $100. Hours of the GingerBread Jubilee tour are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $3. Reach freelance writer Sarah Lemon at [email protected]. By Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune Follow @@thewholedish MailTribune.com By Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune Follow @@thewholedish Posted Nov. 19, 2015 at 10:25 AM Updated Nov 20, 2015 at 10:39 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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