Gingerbread house for sale – for a good cause

EL JEBEL – Betty Zordel has a passion for making gingerbread houses – and for helping a good cause.

For the third consecutive year, Zordel created a magnificent gingerbread house that will be given away via a raffle to raise funds for Lift-Up’s food pantries in the Roaring Fork Valley. Zordel’s creation is on display where she works, at Eagle Crest Nursery in El Jebel. The raffle will take place Dec. 16.

“Everybody says it’s more elaborate than last year. I don’t know. I just do it,” Zordel said.

Two cool features of this year’s custom-built house are two peppermint shot glasses used as chimneys. A bridge features a gingerbread deck with peppermint-candy rails. Penguins made of fondant backfloat in a pool. Betty’s daughter, Vanessa, helped by creating Santa and Mrs. Claus from[fondant. Evergreen trees made from upside down sugar cones are covered in snowy icing.

The raffle raised close to $100 last year. Eagle Crest is open every day until Christmas. The gingerbread house is on prominent display.