Archive: Around Town

There is a lot of talk about what a fast growing community Lansing is.  It must be true, because Tuesday and Wednesday whole neighborhoods sprung up when Lansing Middle School students built their gingerbread houses.  The Lansing Youth Commission conducts the program each year, with fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders participating.


This year about forty kids made houses.  Volunteers from Lansing Youth Commission made the dough and baked the gingerbread beforehand so the pieces would be ready when construction began.  "We couldn't do it without the volunteers," says Program Manager Micaela Cook.  "The gingerbread is really time consuming to make."

The kids came up with the ideas for their houses.  "Some of them are really creative," says Ms. Cook.  "Someone had a stream.  Two people have swimming pools.  Someone cut her pieces and made an apartment building."  One had a satellite dish on the roof, another had a sea serpent swimming by.


Everything is edible, though it is very sugary. Frosting, candy food coloring were all used.  Upside down ice cream cones were frosted to make trees. M&Ms were shingles on some of the roofs.  One house had a gingerbread man out in the yard.  Not all of the building materials made it to the houses.  Some was... er... used to fortify the builders.


Volunteers also helped Ms. Cook conduct the workshops.  Beth Martin and Barb Barry helped out on Tuesday.  Michelle Brophy, part of Lansing's youth Commission, and Deb Ryan an Elementary School teacher who is also on the Commission, volunteered on Wednesday.

Micaela Cook

Kids and adults alike were having a good time.  "It's a really great annual event that kids look forward to," said Ms. Cook.  "All the houses are creative and fun to see."

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