St. Mark’s Church Hosts 6th Annual Gingerbread Wonderland Benefit

On Saturday, December 1, 2018, from 4:00-8:00 p.m., St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church & Preschool and the non-profit Arts Outreach invite the public to attend the sixth annual “Gingerbread Wonderland” benefit event to be held at St. Mark’s campus located at 2901 Nojoqui Avenue in downtown Los Olivos. Admission is free for all ages. The church’s Stacy Hall will be transformed into a Gingerbread Wonderland featuring more than 100 hand-crafted gingerbread houses on display crafted by local schoolchildren, families, organizations and businesses.  Guests can vote for and enter to win their favorite gingerbread house creations using $1 raffle tickets available for purchase at the event. 

Now in its sixth year, Gingerbread Wonderland is a popular family-friendly gathering as part of long-time annual Los Olivos Olde Fashioned Christmas festivities. Yvonne Lowe, St. Mark’s Preschool director remarked, “We are so grateful for the community members of all ages who come out to support Arts Outreach and St. Mark’s Preschool. All these gingerbread designs make the Christmas spirit shine!” The Rev. Dr. Randall Day, St. Mark’s Priest and Rector remarked, “We are thrilled to host these family-friendly activities for the community again as part of the Los Olivos Olde Fashioned Christmas. This day is a wonderful way to celebrate the season.”

According to event organizers, messages from the North Pole have been received indicating that Santa Claus will be in the church’s common room from 4:00-8:00 p.m., providing a cozy place for kids to share their Christmas wishes with the jolly man. Diane Byington and her Solvang Conservatory students accompanied by St. Mark’s music director Beverly Staples will be providing seasonal music to enhance the merriment along with performances by Valley Glee and Mystique.  For those who would enjoy some delicious food and beverages during Gingerbread Wonderland, the courtyard at St. Mark’s will have complimentary coffee, hot apple cider as well as baked goods and food available for purchase. In the church courtyard, there will be opportunities for children to create and decorate Christmas ornaments and crafts.

For more information on making a gingerbread house creation, participating in, supporting or attending 2018 Gingerbread Wonderland, contact Yvonne Lowe, St. Mark’s Preschool Director at (805) 688-1815 or Sandie Mullin, Arts Outreach Executive Director at (805) 688-9533 or visit www.smitv.org/gingerbread-wonderland.html

For complete details on all Los Olivos Olde Fashioned Christmas activities on December 1, 2018, visit www.losolivosca.com/los-olivos-olde-fashioned-christmas/

About St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Preschool: This non-profit organization welcomes all children ages 2 ½ years to Pre-Kindergarten. Regular Preschool hours are 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Monday to Friday from September through June. The Preschool is enrolling students for the 2019 school year. St. Mark’s offers an environment that honors the carefree days of childhood by supporting and encouraging children to grow, learn, and respect others and themselves. This small school nestled in Los Olivos is proud of serving the area for the past 12 years—with well-trained and experienced staff of Director Yvonne Lowe, teachers Erika Ray and Brittany Ramirez and aide Marina Sanchez. For further information, please contact Yvonne Lowe directly at (805) 688-1815 or yvonne@SMITV.org 

About St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church:  Formed in 1926 and serving the Santa Ynez Valley at its present location in downtown Los Olivos since 1979, St. Mark’s practices a spacious Christianity and welcomes people of all faiths or none. St. Mark’s is a no-fee community center for non-profit groups and community meetings, an arts venue for musical and cultural events, a welcome center for residents and area visitors, and a home to an Episcopal parish. St. Mark’s is also grateful to be home to the area’s Jewish community and its top-flight, non-sectarian professional preschool. Open doors, restrooms, free Wi-Fi, a shady courtyard, gardens, a labyrinth and water for pets are available for visitors and area residents all day, every day at St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley. For more information, please visit www.SMITV.org

About Arts Outreach:

Arts Outreach is completely funded by donations and public support is vital to the success of the mission to bring art to life and life to art. Arts Outreach provides education and experiences in the visual, literary, performing, and musical arts to the community and particularly more than 3,500 students of Santa Ynez Valley and Sisquoc. Arts Outreach provides professional performances (typically musical) for Santa Ynez Valley seniors, after-school programs for elementary school children, an annual summertime arts program and an annual youth community theater program as well as administering standards-based art workshops utilizing professional teachers and artists at a fraction of the true cost to local elementary schools. For more information, visit www.artsoutreach.org