New York City Man Breaks Guinness World Record For Third Consecutive Year: Builds World’s Largest Gingerbread Village

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It just wouldn’t be the holidays without an infusion of gingerbread and  New York City’s #1 competitor for the Guinness World Record for largest gingerbread village, Bergen, Norway, is silenced once again. Just announced, Jon Lovitch, creator of GingerBread Lane, has achieved the record for the third consecutive year, with a village of 1120 structures, located at the New York Hall of Science in Corona (Queens), New York.  Careful scrutiny of this competitive event has led to a friendly exchange between Mr. Lovitch and Mr. Steinar Kristoffersen, the manager of Pepperkakebyen (gingerbread village) in Bergen, Norway, starting several years ago.
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With true sportsmanship, Pepperkakebyen will honor Mr. Lovitch at their annual awards ceremony in Bergen, Norway on December 16. Mr. Lovitch, in turn, will honor the international exchange by bringing a gingerbread version of New York City’s Chrysler Building, to be added to the Norway village.

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“It’s like being given the key to the city,” said Mr. Lovitch, after receiving the invitation from his greatest competitor. “I would love to have the Mayor of New York City meet the Mayor of Bergen as well,” he continued. A personal note has been sent to Mayor Bill de Blasio inviting him to visit GingerBread Lane at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, the location of the 500-square-foot GingerBread Lane village. “I haven’t heard back from him yet but now that New York City has achieved the record for the third time, I’m hoping that I will get to meet him as well as the people from Bergen, Norway.”

The 2015 version of GingerBread Lane is on display through January 10, 2016 at The New York Hall of Science, in Queens, New York City.

Acknowledged as the “largest gingerbread village in the world” by the  2013, 2014 and 2015 Guinness World Records, GingerBread Lane 2015 covers 500 square feet with 1120 houses and structures including a double-decker Coney Island-style carousel and the S.C. Kringle & Co. Department Store, evoking Gimbels in the early 1900s. GingerBread Lane 2015 also has new twists like The Pumpkin Spice Latte Coffee Shoppe, The EveryDay’s Thanksgiving Café, two trains, and a 10-square-foot candy factory.

Made entirely of edible gingerbread, royal icing and candy, GingerBread Lane is the creation of one man, Chef Jon Lovitch, and takes a full year to develop and complete, requiring approximately 1500 hours of labor. The village weighs approximately 1.5 tons and has an estimated 3900 pounds of icing, 775 pounds of candy (from 11 different countries) and 682 pounds of gingerbread dough.

As a grand finale, Lovitch will give away all houses on January 10, 2016; he will also ship houses to children unable to visit due to illness or other personal situations. www.gingerbread-lane.org

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Schedule and Details:  Now through January 10, 2016
New York Hall of Science, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, 47-01 111th Street, Queens, NY; 718-699-0005, www.nysci.org

Gingerbread Workshops – December for NYSCI members; consult the website www.nysci.org for specifics

GingerBread Lane house giveaway – January 10, 2016; line forms at 10am; giveaway starts at 11am
$15 adults 18+; $12 children 2-17, students, seniors

GingerBread Lane is a project conceived and funded entirely by Jon Lovitch. For more information check it out on Facebook Still got a hankering take a bite out of this VIDEO

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