Image courtesy of Megan Montgomery Foundation
The second annual Gingerbread Jam contest will be at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.
The Megan Montgomery Foundation, which raises money and awareness to stop domestic violence in honor of a Hoover woman killed by her estranged husband in 2019, is hosting its second annual gingerbread house contest this Saturday, Dec. 9.
People who want to enter the Gingerbread Jam are asked to register at gingerbreadjam.swell.gives, pay a $5 registration fee and then build and decorate their house at home or work and drop it off at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 8, between 3 and 6 p.m. or Saturday, Dec. 9, from 8 to 9 a.m.
People can use pre-made kits or graham crackers or make their own gingerbread. Houses must be 90% edible, family-friendly and non-controversial, according to the rules.
The houses will be on display at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center for the public to view from 9 a.m. to noon, and the public will have a chance to vote on a People’s Choice winner. Judges also will hand out awards to the houses thought to be the best.
Professional bakers will participate in a culinary division, and those houses will be auctioned in a silent auction. All entries should be picked up by 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Megan Montgomery
Building gingerbread houses was a family tradition for Susann Montgomery-Clark, her daughters Meredith and Megan Montgomery and their friends and family members who were invited to gingerbread parties over the years.
Megan Montgomery, a Ross Bridge resident, was shot to death at the age of 31 in December 2019 by her estranged husband, Jason McIntosh, in Mountain Brook. McIntosh pleaded guilty to murder in 2021 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Montgomery’s mother and stepfather, Rod Clark, in 2021 started the Megan Montgomery Foundation with the goal of preventing dating and domestic violence before it starts by partnering with like-minded nonprofits and schools.
“This event is a fun way to raise funds for implementing healthy relationship education for men and women”, said Meredith Montgomery-Price, Megan’s sister and executive director of the foundation. “It’s a way to carry on the tradition that our family and friends loved for many years, and now a new generation can participate as they build their own houses to enter.”
All proceeds from the Gingerbread Jam will benefit the foundation. To enter the contest, go to gingerbreadjam.swell.gives. For more information, contact Kim McAdams at 205-837-4649 or macfamily91@gmail.com.
