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Gingerbread magic Kate Sharbono's replica of the Butte Creek Mill in Eagle Point was the 2016 "Best Of Show" entry at the Gingerbread Jubilee in Medford. [Mail Tribune / File Photo] Friday Nov 17, 2017 at 12:01 AM Sarah Lemon for the Mail Tribune @thewholedish In a long-running baking contest of seasoned competitors, Kate Sharbono is proof that anyone can take the cake. As a first-time entrant in the annual GingerBread Jubilee, Sharbono elevated her cake-decorating hobby to the 2016 event’s top tier, claiming Best in Show and the $1,000 cash prize. Her “Butte Creek Mill” — sculpted entirely in gingerbread and other edible materials — was a sweet tribute to Eagle Point’s most beloved landmark, which burned on Christmas 2015. “It’s go big or go home for me, I guess,” says Sharbono, a 43-year-old Eagle Point native who manages Medford’s Red Lobster restaurant. She says she’s tapping into a familiar holiday theme, Santa’s workshop, for this year’s Jubilee. Decked out in crystal decor, the Jubilee itself is going bigger than ever before, says Aspen Droesch, development director for Craterian Performances Company. The 15th annual fundraiser for the Craterian restores the three-day community tour of gingerbread creations after reduced schedules in recent years to accommodate other events at downtown Medford’s Collier Center for the Performing Arts. Last year’s Jubilee raised more than $234,000 for the nonprofit theater’s operations. “The GingerBread Jubilee is not only a special holiday tradition for many in the valley, but a vital resource for our theater,” says Droesch. The Jubilee has generated approximately $1.2 million throughout its 14-year history and has drawn nearly 30,000 visitors from around the region. The tour runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 18-19, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20, at the Collier Center. Admission is $3 per person. “The most amazing thing about this event is that each year is so unique and special,” says Droesch. “You never know what kind of GingerBread masterpieces you’ll find.” Spectators this year can look forward to such titles as “Charlie Brown’s Tree Lot,” “Once Upon a Dream” and “Ginger Comes Clean,” says baker coordinator Kali McKee. Entries typically number between 35 and 50, and they are auctioned the evening before the tour. More than $3,500 in prizes are bestowed upon winners in three categories. “Jack and the Beanstalk” climbed above adult-category counterparts in 2016 to capture first place and $500 for Sheree Cox and Theresa Peplinski. “Nibble, Nibble” by former Harry & David baker Shannon Haptonstall won second place and $250. The 2015 People’s Choice baker Naomi Bell was 2016’s repeat third-place winner for “Once Upon a Christmas,” which earned $100 in the adult category. Among students, seasoned baker Samantha Hyde conjured “The Land of Oz” to win first place and $500 last year. Aubrey, Julia, Grace and Nathan Millar reaped the sweet rewards of second place and $250 for “A Year of Living in Candy Land.” Third place and $100 went to Daisy Troop No. 10266’s “Daisy Vet Office.” The mixed-age-group team of Lily Cusumano and Nichole and Jolene Steward delved “Under the Sea” in 2016 for first place and $500. Second place and $250 went to “Watt’s Steam Engine” by Ashland Classical Conversations Home School. “Snow Much Fun at the Lodge,” submitted by Lonna Jergensen, Sunni and Whitney West and Shanee and Abigail Von Strahl, won third place and $100. Painstaking details typically distinguish the top entries in each year’s field. And experienced Jubilee bakers know that the biggest payoff resides in the event’s namesake medium, rather than icing or commercially made treats. Tempered chocolate forged edible metalwork — including wagon wheels, a flagpole and a weather vane — for Sharbono’s miniature replica of the historical grist mill. Little Butte Creek flowed as aqua-hued gel under the mill’s gingerbread waterwheel. “You have to kind of walk away and go, ‘I’m done,’ or you go crazy,” says Sharbono, adding that she spent about 40 hours on last year’s entry. “It’s exciting to see it start from nothing.” Farms, churches, a bakery, lighthouse, iconic landmarks and other architectural examples have earned high scores in previous Jubilees. Movies, books, video games and other elements of pop culture also have garnered plenty of success and crowd appeal. — Reach freelance writer Sarah Lemon at [email protected].