There’s only a short time for Columbus residents to take a look into the windows of Gramz Bakery and see an array of story-themed gingerbread houses.
The houses, which will be taken down on Monday, come from Book Buddies, a volunteer-based tutoring program that helps second and third graders in the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. improve their reading skills.
Book buddies director Debbie Lindauer said that for the past seven years, the program has put together gingerbread houses and displayed them as a way to raise funds. The tradition first began at the Inn at Irwin Gardens in 2013. The idea came from Ashleigh Fisher, who was the event coordinator for the inn at the time.
"She was doing an open house event with Santa and just thought that if Book Buddies was involved, we could make it a fundraiser, raise a little money for the program, and then host this great event at their house," Lindauer said. "So that’s how it began.”
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She said that in 2014, Book Buddies displayed its gingerbread houses at Viewpoint Books. Gramz has hosted the annual display since 2015.
On a normal year, Book Buddies volunteers and students decorate the houses. The houses then are on display in classrooms for about a week before moving to Gramz, where members of the public can donate money to vote for their favorite house. Lindauer also said that in years past, the students who decorated the most popular houses — the top three or so — would receive "bonus books" as prizes.
However, in light of COVID-19, the annual tradition had a few changes. Even before BCSC moved to eLearning and the Book Buddies program stopped meeting in-person, volunteers weren’t able to enter schools.
This year, the gingerbread houses were put together by Book Buddies staff and their families, as well as site staff and the children of school staff who were doing eLearning in school buildings. Lindauer said that because volunteers and most Book Buddies students didn’t get to decorate the houses this year, the contest part of the tradition was dropped, though donations are still welcome.
“We’re not really asking for votes for money," she said. "We decided this year to just encourage people to come and see them and enjoy them. And we did put a phone number up on the window to donate. … The owner at Gramz has insisted on keeping an envelope for those who wanted to do an on-site donation.”
Another change is that this year, all of the houses are based on stories, whereas past competitions had no theme.
“I love them all," Lindauer said. "I always do. I will say, staff was excited about a theme, having a theme to work with.”
The gingerbread houses were donated by the As the Page Turns Book Club both this year and last year, she said. Before that, houses came from Walmart on the east side for about five years, with the business providing discounted houses and donating some as well.
Gramz general manager Rachelle Cole said that Book Buddies’ gingerbread houses are unique and "showcase the work of all of the little people in our community."
“We do so much with the adults in the community," she said. "It’s nice to see what the kids, their creativity, can come up with.”
She said that hosting the annual display is a way to emphasize local programs and their "positive impact" on the community.
Cole also said that customers, staff and pedestrians alike enjoy the gingerbread houses.
"We have a ton of people, even if they don’t come in the building, they stop and look at them, so it definitely catches everybody’s eyes," she said.
To donate to the Book Buddies program, call 812-376-4461.
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