His name is Kevin Kiley, and his official title at the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor is technical director. At this time of year he is also known as the Holiday Wizard for his remarkable ability to transform the historic building into a winter wonderland. Last Thursday, when his mother, Pat Kiley, handed over the reins to the annual Gingerbread 101 workshop, he became the Gingerbread Man.

Few are more qualified than Kiley to teach the art of gingerbread house construction. His love and skill for the craft began when he was a young boy. His mother held many gingerbread parties during his childhood, and led the workshops at the OH for the past 10 years.

In addition to teaching the construction basics and encouraging families to start their own holiday tradition (“Have a party!”), Kiley hoped to persuade the participants to enter their works in the OH’s upcoming Gingerbread Spectacular.  “You don’t have to compete, you can just bring it for display,” he said. “What we really want is to see all sorts of creativity. The sky’s the limit.”

“You begin with inspiration,” he said, gesturing to an impressive display of books, kits, mixes, entries from previous years, and examples of edible decorating goodness. Twizzlers, Necco wafers, gumdrops, ribbon candy, Frosted Mini-Wheats. “You can make stained glass windows with crushed Jolly Ranchers. If you plan ahead, you can even light your buildings. Light will create that extra little bit of magic.

“You can’t do it all in one sitting,” he cautioned. “Plan it out. Mix and bake on one day, and construct on another,” he suggested. “Finish with the decorating. Build your house on something strong enough to support it and bring it here. The only rule is that it needs to be able to fit though the door.”

The free workshop was the first step on the journey toward the OH’s 10th annual Gingerbread Spectacular on Dec. 17 and 18. Builders who enter their masterpiece in the event will receive two tickets to the Dough Ball on Friday, Dec. 16. Winning designers will be announced at the ball. Entries must be in by Thursday, Dec. 15. For more information about how to enter the Spectacular, call the Opera House at 633-5159 or 633-6855. For those who weren’t able to attend, and are still interested in building a house, there are also how-to tip sheets on construction basics available at the Opera House.