Our gingerbread model of Corvin's Castle.
The castle itself.
The gingerbread model remained on display for three days.
A sign welcomes guests to the event.
Our snazy event poster which we put up all Deva and Hateg in person in cold weather! The rest were widely distributed.
The castle took three long weekends in total to build.
The ingredients were donated by local grocery store, Trident.
We were helped by our friends from French organization, Punct Inima, and our Mormon missionary friends as well as fellow Peace Corps volunteers to make the dough and bake some of the pieces of the castle.
The sun sets outside the castle on one of the evenings of our three day event.
Boromir, a local bread factory, allowed us to come in for two weekends and use their industrial size ovens to bake the gingerbread.
We used a two different methods of baking the gingerbread. We baked both sheets of bread and cut out pieces from there, and tried cutting out the pieces ahead of time from the cardboard model.
Our recipe for gingerbread used honey instead of molasses, which is not available in Romania.
But our icing recipe called for cream of tarter which we had sent from the USA.
Construction of the castle required 19 kilos of flour, 10 kilos of sugar and 6 kilos of honey.
The castle was on display for looking, not for touching.
The model was also never intended to be eatable.
A children's singing group in traditional costume comes to view the castle after their performance.
Kids examine the gingerbread model.
We playfully warned them that they can't eat it.
The child of one of the volunteers from an NGO.
The two orgs. offering face painting went over big with the kids.
A little child is introduced to Santa Claus.
A good baby sits still for face painting.
This group came from Timisoara and did mostly whole face designs. There were many little lions, tigers and bears running around the castle.
A class performs their Christmas play amidst the activities and games available in the large room.
A different school group performed a Christmas play outside to an audience of parents and teachers.
Student singers.
Eventually we got groups to take turns performing in the large room with all the activities and NGOs.
A group poses for a picture with Santa Claus.
A class of student carolers sings to Santa Claus.
Beth and Justin welcome visitor to the GAD table (Gender and Development Committee of Peace Corps Romania)
Justin reaches out to a boy decorating a "cookie".
Girls decorate their American style "Christmas cookie" ornaments.
Iulia, our Romanian friend, helps explain what we're trying to do at the GAD table.
Sara observes some cookie decoration.
GAD offered salt and flour dough ornaments in the shape of traditional American Christmas cookies for kids to decorate with glitter, paint, real sprinkles and glue.
Each kid participating in the activity took home a Romanian translation of a recipe for sugar cookies a frosting on a coloring sheet.
Dru helps out at the Jewish cultural table teaching about Hanukkah.
Brandon helps with the fishing for ornaments activity.
Brandon's organization, CERT, also offered milk bottle bowling.
This is the coloring contest entry form for the kindergartners.
And the coloring contest entry form for first through fourth grade. Entries were judged based on creativity.
Sivan explains the driedel activity .
A boy decorates his paper driedel.
His father watches him decorate the driedel.
Most activities were offered for 1 or 2 lei as a fund raiser or to help the organization recoup the cost of participating.
Sivan's Jewish table was one activity that was offered for free as a way to encourage children to learn a little bit more about Hanukkah and Jewish traditions.
After decorating and taping the paper driedels together the children play the game.
A few small pieces of candy are their prize.
The Red Cross Hunedoara table
CERT table
Connexinuni - a Deva women's organization
Caritas Petrosani, one of four organizations at the even represented by Super Peace Corps Volunteer, Karla.
Catching a specific ornament with the fishing pole meant winning a bigger candy bar.
Many organizations such as VOLSIM, also sold crafts and souvenirs at the event.
Each organization decorated a Christmas tree with a theme.
Guests voted on the prettiest Christmas tree so the winner could be recognized with a certificate.
The first tree in this picture, Caritas, with the paper stars was the official winner.
This tree was strategically placed at the base of the stairs to the castle hall.
Twenty students came to duel each other in the chess playoffs.
The ten winners were all played simultaneously by a former National Chess champion.
Two students did in fact beat the champion. There prize was a t-shirt and a free cell phone.
The county department of sport organized the chess activities.
Medieval dancers and performers look down from the wall of the castle.
The Medieval dancers performed in another hall of the castle to a packed in audience.
A mime.
More performers than were expected showed up for the event including a group of drummers and buglers Saturday morning.
A singing group in the castle courtyard.
The Hunedoara Knights recreate a duel in the courtyard.
Laura and Micah take a turn at the greeting table, directing people toward the activities and reminding them to vote for the best Christmas tree.
Other volunteers work the greeting table - though warmer outside than in the castle it is a lonely job.
Micah poses with the Knights.
The knights wow the guests at the carnival.
A little boy makes friends with one of the knights.
And gets to hold the sword in a picture.
Justin is happy in his Santa hat.
Brandon surprised by the camera.
Laura, Sara and Brandon pose for a picture.
Beth and Laura at the GAD table.
The GAD table serves as the Peace Corps hang out spot.
Micah decides to get face painting done.
Beth, Rob and Susie chat up another American volunteer from another organization.
Beth, Rob and Susie represent Prader Willi Association.
Justin and Heather enjoy visiting the castle.
Micah poses with Cosmin, one of the volunteers from the Red Cross who helped set up the castle room and helped make the decorations for the event.
Micah and Santa.
Laura and Santa.
Micah, Santa and Laura
We pose with Santa and our dedicated Red Cross volunteers.
Justin, Micah, Laura and Iulia pose for the head-cut out board brought by one of the organizations. A good example of a fund raiser they can use again.
Micah and the castle director prepare to hand out certificates.
Every NGO which participated is recognized.
Each NGO will also receive a CD of resources in areas such as grant writing, public relations, and E.U. funds.
Santa takes a bow. He came with the Red Cross Hunedoara.
The volunteers at Punct Inima surprise Laura with a chocolate birthday cake.
Happy 28th!
A final dance group performs with garland.
