Sweet tradition

Ward woman builds a legacy with gingerbread houses

Carleen Wild
Posted 12/18/24

It may not look like there’s much homebuilding going on in the quiet rural town of Ward, SD, but Marlys Barthel has likely constructed an entire city – of gingerbread houses. For over 40 …

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Sweet tradition

Ward woman builds a legacy with gingerbread houses

Posted

It may not look like there’s much homebuilding going on in the quiet rural town of Ward, SD, but Marlys Barthel has likely constructed an entire city – of gingerbread houses.
For over 40 years, Barthel has made her intricately designed, candy-filled creations, and they now are a centerpiece of the Holiday Craft Fair in Ward. Alongside her sisters and close friends, she has helped organize the annual event, which draws vendors and shoppers from across the region.
Barthel’s gingerbread journey began when she took a class decades ago. Since then, crafting the edible houses has become her favorite holiday tradition.
Each gingerbread house is unique, decorated with fresh ingredients and held together with a powdered sugar mix that sparkles like fresh snow. While Barthel sells some at the fair, others are given as gifts or assembled with her grandchildren over Christmas break.

“I love it – it keeps me busy,” Barthel said. Her hobby has taken on even more meaning since her high school sweetheart and lifelong love, who grew up just across the section and later became her husband, passed away in recent years.
Sharing her creations and bringing people together for the craft fair has been a welcome distraction in the quiet, aging town.
Barthel isn’t the only one contributing holiday cheer. Her sister Jolene Trageser makes lefse, a traditional Norwegian flatbread, while Janelle Nelson showcases her quilting talents. Together, they’ve kept the event thriving since their sister Carol, a co-founder of the fair, passed away in 2016.
The most recent craft fair drew 14 vendors, filling both the church basement and the community center. Shoppers came from as far as Watertown, Dell Rapids, Elkton, and Ivanhoe, MN, to browse baked goods, quilts, and Barthel’s signature gingerbread houses.
“It’s one of the main events in Ward,” Barthel said.
“People seem to enjoy it, but we’re all getting older, and it’s hard to tell what will happen. There’s just not a lot going on here.”
Ward may be small, but its charm lies in its deep-rooted sense of community and the events that help bring people together. If you haven’t been lately, Barthel hopes to see you again.