For those who may doubt the promise of our youth, rest assured we're in pretty good hands — at least here in Kerrville.
How do we know this? Well, let's just say we met two bright stars on Saturday while decorating gingerbread houses at the Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library. Sitting on opposite ends of the downstairs conference room were Sebastian Torres,5, and Oliver Martinez, 6.
Oliver Martinez, 6, a first-grade student at Starkey Elementary School, discussed with us his gingerbread house, which had many stories attached to it. |
Carefully and magically organized by the library staff, the day brought together families from all over the Hill Country for some sweet fun.
Now you're probably wondering why we think the future is bright, but consider this: Oliver Martinez had constructed a narrative backstory for every element of his gingerbread house while Sebastian Torres was addressing his sweet-filled home's need for a water tower.
Oliver Martinez, 5, believed that it's essential you have a water tower at your house. So, he built one with marshmallows and pretzel sticks. |
Creative? No doubt.
"Of course, they would have s'mores," Oliver Martinez said as he walked us through the details of his house, which even had a Santa's sleigh on the rooftop and a fire made from Tootsie rolls and a red gumdrop.
"This is Santa and this is the candy cane sleigh," said Martinez, a first-grader at Starkey Elementary School in Kerrville. "These are the reindeer (re-purposed gummy bears) and the front one is Rudolph."
Torres was with his big sister, Zooey, 10, and older brother Aidan, 7. The whole Torres clan had stories for their gingerbread houses — think more like graham crackers — and Zooey Torres led the way with a narrative of a gummy bear rescue operation. Aidan wanted the gummy bears to live inside the house, and he crafted a doorway for them to get inside.
At another table, Joaquin Calderon was enjoying decorating his house. The only challenge for Joaquin Calderon was not eating the gummy bears.
The challenge is real, Joaquin.
Joaquin Calderon, 8, is all smiles after decorating his house on Saturday at the Butt-Holdsworth Memorial Library. |
Sometimes the process got a little bit messy. Delicious, but messy. |