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ALPENA –The smell of gingerbread will soon be filling the businesses in downtown Alpena, thanks to a new promotion from the Alpena Downtown Development Authority.

This holiday season, the DDA is hosting a downtown gingerbread competition, during which people can display their gingerbread creations in local businesses and customers will vote on the winners.

The deadline for registration for the gingerbread contest event is Dec.12. The contest costs $10 and is open to people of all ages. Creations are due at the DDA office from Dec. 12 until Dec. 15 and they will be on display from from Dec. 15 until Dec. 22.

Winners will be announced on Christmas Eve.

DDA Executive Director Anne Gentry said downtown business owners have wanted the DDA to facilitate more promotions and events, and she believes this one will help direct traffic into the stores, restaurants and pubs.

“Anyone can make one, and we will place them in the downtown businesses and, hopefully, that will incentivize people to come downtown and stop in, see them, and vote for their favorites,” she said. “It will give people a chance to go into new businesses or ones they may not have been into for a while to see what they have to offer.”

Gentry said entries are not limited to gingerbread men or houses. She said people should be creative and the only requirements are that everything on the displays are edible and that they are suitable for family viewing.

Prizes will be given to the top three vote-getters, with the grand champion receiving a $100 worth of “downtown dollars.” People who finish second and third will also receive downtown dollar prizes.

Gentry said there is also a special trophy that has been made and will be presented to the winner. The trophy will be treated similarly to the NHL’s Stanley Cup.

“It is called the Gingerbread Cup, and the winner will get their name on the trophy and they can keep it and put it on display,” Gentry said. “It will be a traveling trophy that will go to a different winner next year, and another the year after that.”

For more information contact DDA at 356-6422.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or 989-358-5689. Follow Steve on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.