Mormon Trail Center's annual Gingerbread Festival runs through Dec. 31

OMAHA, Neb. — The smell of gingerbread is in the air at the Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters in Omaha, Neb. This is a busy time of year as hundreds of gingerbread creations and beautifully decorated trees are festively filling the lower level of the center. This is the 26th year that the Mormon Trail Center has sponsored the gingerbread festival. The theme for this year’s display is “The Joys of Childhood.”

Tuesday afternoon found Rebecca Schmelzer and her son, Leo, busily setting up their display, “Christmas on the Farm.”

“The gingerbread display is a holiday tradition at the Schmelzer house,” Rebecca Schmelzer said.

Each year family members gather together to prepare special treats and then off they go to explore the sensational cookie, candy and icing creations at the gingerbread festival, followed by a drive through the streets of Omaha to enjoy the colorful Christmas lights.

“As a family, we have many great memories of building our gingerbread houses. Our first was a sad little house that ended up with a flat roof," Schmelzer said. "I learned that with a lot of frosting you can cover major construction flaws!”

It was with great delight she and her little family gazed upon that first effort at gingerbread design, as their little creation sat among the hundreds of other sweet smelling structures, she explained.

During the holiday season the Mormon Trail Center also welcomes musical performers. “The Joys of Childhood” gingerbread festival runs daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., through Dec. 31 (closed Christmas day) at the Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters, 3215 State St., Omaha.

Loa McLaws is a public affairs representative for the Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters.