Courtesy photo

Do you like to create gingerbread houses? Would you like to experience a historical Victorian Christmas celebration and know what Christmas was like in 1888? On Dec. 9, from 6-8 p.m., the second annual Victorian Christmas at the Old Town Hall in Pleasant Grove will be held. This year, a gingerbread house display and contest will be part of the celebration.

Even though the event is a few weeks away, it’s time to begin planning and designing the gingerbread creations. “Bring your decorated house for display at our ‘Victorian Christmas at the Old Town Hall’ event on 9 December. Prizes will be awarded in two categories: adult and child. Extra points for entries that depict a historic Pleasant Grove home or piece of history,” it states on the Pleasant Grove Historic Preservation Commission Facebook page. The commission is putting on the historical celebration, which will include Victorian crafts, storytelling and food.

According to Laurel Cunningham, commission chairperson, the event is free for everyone, including families with children, and no tickets or reservations are required. “This is our second annual Victorian Christmas at the Old Town Hall, and we hope to continue it for years to come. It started last year when we were showing off our newly restored Old Town Hall building and wanted the public to come and see the interior,” Cunningham said. “The event was so well attended and we had so much fun hosting it that we decided to do it again.”

The Old Town Hall, located at 105 S. 100 East, has served many purposes since its construction in 1888. But the usage that many Pleasant Grove residents remember most is its time as the public library from 1962 to 1988. When a larger facility was needed, the library was moved to its current location.

From that time on, the Old Town Hall building was leased to private businesses, including boutiques. The last tenant left the building in 2018, and the building has stood empty ever since. Now that the building has been restored to its 1888 detailing, it will serve as a Pleasant Grove history education center and archive and a city meeting space, according to Cunningham.

Jeremy Hall

The goal of the first Victorian Christmas at the Old Town Hall event, held last year, was to show what Christmas was like in Pleasant Grove in 1888 and also to welcome the public back into the building after it was shuttered for five years.

“Those who come this year will learn what Christmas was like in Pleasant Grove. We’ll also have gingerbread treats to eat as well as gingerbread houses to look at,” Cunningham said.

Those who want to enter the gingerbread contest should bring their decorated houses to the event. For more information about the event, check out the Pleasant Grove Historic Preservation Commission Facebook page.