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4/ TheBucknerClarion.com December 18, 2014 Gingerbread Lane Local Creates World's Largest Edible Exhibit October: Work begins on the smaller houses. Late October: Shutters, wreaths, signs, trains and cable cars are created. November: Work is completed. When it's all said and done, Lovitch remembers those who made a great impact on his career path. "My grandfather is my biggest role model," he said. "Also, there were several educators including Mr. Thompson, the former elementary school principal, and the current middle school principal, John Schuller, who used to be my art teacher. They all made a positive impact on my life, as well as the chef I worked for at Worlds of Fun." Lovitch encourages the Buckner community to "dream big. You never know where you'll end up. I didn't expect to end up in New York City with 13 million people coming from a small town of 2,000. You can't be afraid to dream big." For more information, visit Gingerbread- Lane.org. Recipes provided by Jon Lovitch. later, thanking me for it." Lovitch pays for Gingerbread Lane out of his own pocket. This year, he was on the hook for about two grand. The process will start all over again for next year shortly after the exhibit is disassembled. Lovitch has the timeline down to a science: January: The current village gets torn down. February: Photography from the previous season is reviewed. March: Draft designs of the new concept begin. April: Icing supports and bridge making begin. Late May: Trees, snowmen and signage creation begin. Late June: Candy mosaics begin. Late July: Work begins on heavier houses like the ones completely covered with candy. September: Work begins on the larger houses. Continued from page 1 Gingerbread Lane Dough Recipe 1 cup of butter alternate 1 cup of brown sugar 1 cup of corn syrup Melt these items on top of the stove on low heat. Remove from heat and stir in: ½ teaspoon of salt 2 teaspoons of ginger 2 teaspoons of nutmeg 2 teaspoons of cinnamon 4½ cups of flour Roll out dough quickly to about ¼ inch thickness on a greased cookie sheet. Cut in desired patterns and bake. Yummy Gingerbread Cake Recipe You can't make a house out of this but it tastes great! ½ cup of butter 1 cup of sugar 1 egg beaten 1 cup of molasses 2½ cups of flour 1½ teaspoon of soda ½ teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 2 teaspoons of ginger 1 cup of hot water Mix all ingredients at once, pour into a greased cake pan, bake at 350 for 45 min. Chef Jon Lovitch will start on the next (2015) Gingerbread Lane shortly after he disassembles this one. This year's exhibit included 955 houses and weighs over 5000 pounds. The cost is roughly $2,000 that Lovitch pays for out-of-pocket. Everything is baked from his oven in his New York apartment.

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