“Eclectic Austin” Gingerbread Village, custom ornaments add to the holiday magic.
2012-09-25 — /travelprnews.com/ — This December, Four Seasons Hotel Austin is keeping things weird – Austin-style – with new holiday décor throughout the downtown luxury Hotel that shows off the city’s eclectic side.
Front and centre in the Lobby, the annual Gingerbread Village will this year showcase such Austin originals as the Broken Spoke (dance hall), Continental Club (famed music venue), Salt Lick BBQ and the Cathedral of Junk, a 30-foot (9 metre) high backyard folk art installation made out of other people’s cast-offs. In total, the 2012 Village will feature 10 houses made entirely out of edible materials.
In addition to the houses, several smaller accessories – such as a trailer food park, statue of Willie Nelson and Austin City Limits sign – will also dot the royal icing landscape.
Although miniature compared to the originals, each house can take up to 30 hours to construct due to the intricacy required to replicate such well-known landmarks. Luckily all that hard work isn’t without reward since proceeds from the sale of the houses and accessories are donated each year to the Seton Shivers Cancer Center. More than USD 42,000.00 has been raised since 2005 through Gingerbread Village sales.
On display starting November 21, 2012, the Gingerbread Village may be viewed 24 hours per day through January 2, 2013, making it the perfect holiday activity for Texas visitors of all ages. Also, as a new offering the Hotel will host weekly open houses featuring complimentary hot apple cider, sweet treats and pastry chefs on hand to share behind-the-scenes details and fun facts about the houses.
Another item getting an updated look this year is the Lobby Christmas tree, which for nearly a decade has been bedecked with traditional ribbons, red and gold ornaments and packages wrapped in patterned paper. In 2012, the tree – as well as much of the Lobby décor – will take on a more local aesthetic with hand-crafted ornaments depicting iconic sights and quintessential scenes from around Austin.
Bringing the project even closer to home, many of the ornaments will be made by local artisans including Matt Blissard; Richard Baudoin; Coby Neal and Beth O’Reilly of The Flower Studio; and Jennifer and Joseph Worth of South Austin Gallery.
Hotel Press Contact
Kerri Holden
Senior Director of Public Relations – Americas
98 San Jacinto Boulevard
Austin, Texas, U.S.A. 78701-4039
Email Kerri Holden
T. 1 (512) 685-8048
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UT Tower Gingerbread Village