From Whoville to 'White Lotus'! Gingerbread Battle Raises Cash — and a Few Eyebrows

From Whoville to 'White Lotus'! Gingerbread Battle Raises Cash — and a Few Eyebrows

Members of team Grinch Please build their gingerbread house

GALVANIZED BY DRAG performer Duckie DuJour, more than 30 teams gathered in Montrose to build one-of-a-kind gingerbread houses — for a cause.


At the Kindred Montrose church, the seventh annual competition, benefiting the local nonprofit Grace Place, was the biggest yet. Entries included homages to television shows Wednesday, The White Lotus and Yellowstone, plus Dolly Parton, naturally, and other icons. The winner was titled “Grinch Please,” a multi-tiered, table-length depiction of Grinch ascending Mount Crumpit.

Grace Place is a Houston based non-profit who empowers youths of all sexualities and gender identities who are experiencing homelessness. “Grace Place is a special organization, and it’s only able to exist because of the generosity of our Houston community,” said President of the Board of Directors Natalie Ferguson, “and we are incredibly grateful for everyone’s support this year.”

Event sponsor Randy Owens and Family

A young competitor enjoys her sweet creation

Competition team working on gingerbread house

A Yellowstone themed gingerbread house

Grace Place Board President Natalie Ferguson and members of Houston Gaymers

Grace Place Executive Director Courtney Sellers with first place team Grinch Please

Members of team Grinch Please build their gingerbread house

Parties
Exclusive Furniture’s Sam Zavary Credits Luck, Hard Work and ‘Mom’s Prayers’ for His Success

How did you get to where you are today? I am a firm believer that hard work and having dreams that you strive to achieve will motivate and inspire people to achieve their potential. Working hard, dreaming, and making sure to take advantage of every opportunity is something I learned at a young age. I credit God and God’s grace firstly, but I know that success is a direct result of hard work. I tell my podcast subscribers and followers to continue setting goals, evolving, improving, and planning, and I practice what I preach. I am proud to have started my business in the fastest growing major city in the United States, and I attribute a lot of the success of Exclusive Furniture to the family culture we create in the best city — Houston’s diversity, philanthropy, and innovation have helped me achieve a lot of the milestones in the furniture business (and the “low prices”) you see today!

Keep Reading Show less

THE CORINTHIAN WAS the scene for a haunted happening benefiting Children’s Museum Houston. The decidedly adult bash was filled with dark allure, gothic glamour, and generosity to the tune of $1.14 million, the second-highest total in the event’s history.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties

Morris Smith, Tilman Fertitta and Toni Smith

THE HOUSTON CHILDREN'S Charity gala is always anticipated, thanks to the big-deal musical acts brought in to entertain; this year it was Chicago. But the headliners this year were the generous donors, who seemed to surprise even event organizer with their largesse, with a total till of $6.2 million, a record.

Keep Reading Show less
Party People