Edible works of art hit the auction block Wednesday night at the 12th annual Gingerbread Festival and Auction.

About 250 people packed the Eldridge Hotel in downtown Lawrence to place their bids on 32 extravagantly decorated houses, including a gingerbread version of the White House and Noah’s Ark.

The event is a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Douglas County, and organizers said it wouldn’t be possible without the creators behind the masterpieces, some of whom put hundreds of hours into constructing their gingerbread houses.

“They put so much time and energy into it and they do it for Big Brothers Big Sisters because they know how important what we do is,” said Becky Price, the regional executive director for Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Children also participated in the gingerbread festival, constructing 86 smaller graham cracker houses in the kids division.