photo by: Mike Yoder/Journal-World File Photo

Tables of dozens of gingerbread houses in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Gingerbread House Auction are pictured in December 2015 at Abe and Jake's Landing.

Many of the winter season’s traditional events look different this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Journal-World put together a list of some activities that are still occurring this holiday season, as well as some classic activities that can be enjoyed while social distancing.

Gingerbread Festival

For 10 days this December, gingerbread houses will be placed in the windows of 15 businesses up and down Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence.

The traditional Gingerbread Festival — Big Brothers Big Sisters’ largest fund-raiser of the year — had to be reimagined because of the pandemic. Instead of a one-day event with all the gingerbread houses in the same room, now families are invited to see the gingerbread houses in a safer and more socially distant manner.

“We’ve got them from Waxman on the north all the way down to Mass Street Soda on the south,” said Jeffry Jack, area director for Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The event’s raffle and auction will take place online, and people can bid on the gingerbread houses and prize baskets. This year, members of the public will also be able to vote for their favorite gingerbread house.

For those who don’t have access to the internet, there will also be an opportunity for individuals to vote for their favorite gingerbread house at the Lawrence Public Library.

Jack said the new format will allow “the entire community to enjoy the gingerbread houses and to participate.”

The event will begin on Dec. 3 and end on Dec. 13. On the night of Dec. 13, there will be a YouTube event to announce the winners of the auctions, raffles and the winning gingerbread house.

Virtual Organ Vespers Concert

Organist Tandy Reussner said her 24th annual organ vespers concert will be online this year.

For the past 23 years, area professional and amateur musicians have been joined by Reussner on the pipe organ. This year, Reussner will release a 30-minute video of the “best-of-the-best” performances from past years called “Hindsight in 2020.” Featured performances will include violinist Shan-Ken Chien at Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan, the Vespers Brass and the Vespers Strings, the Medical Men’s Chorus and the Women in Healthcare Choir, among others.

The video will be free and available for streaming on Reussner’s website, tandyreussner.com, starting on Nov. 29 at 4 p.m. Reussner said the video will be around 30 to 40 minutes.

Reussner’s in-person Organ Vespers concerts have typically been an avenue to raise funds for local organizations. This year, Reussner said she will encourage listeners to give to local charities during the holiday season.

Holiday Farmers Market

The Holiday Farmers Market will be going online this year, according to market manager Brian McInerney.

The Holiday Farmers Market is an annual event that enables vendors to switch gears and sell products such as homemade wreaths, ornaments, seasonal baked goods, body care products, wood-carved products, spices and ferments and more.

The products will be available for purchase online between Nov. 1 and Dec. 5, with curbside pickup of the items on Dec. 12. McInerney said he hopes they will have between 50 and 100 vendors for the online event and that prices will reflect those from previous years.

The online store will be available at lawrencefarmersmarket.org.

Van Go Adornment Sale

Adornment, one of Van Go’s biggest fundraisers of the year, will be occurring via an online store opening in November.

Van Go is an arts-based social service agency that employs at-risk youth between the ages of 14 and 24. Its annual Adornment event features pieces made by the youth artists.

Items will include knitted and crocheted stuffed animals; housewares such as wooden spoons and kitchen utensil sets with painted handles; painted miniature coolers; and other Van Go favorites such as glassware, magnets and nightlights.

Van Go will not have its traditional opening night celebration for the sale, but it will have limited in-person shopping opportunities beginning Nov. 28. The nonprofit hopes to open the online store prior to that date, but as of the end of October, it did not have a specific date. Van Go plans to keep the online store open until it meets its fundraising goal.

The online Adornment store can be found on Van Go’s website at van-go.org.

Where to sled … and where to warm up after

For those looking to sled this winter season, popular hills include Campanile Hill on the University of Kansas’ campus, and hills in Centennial Park, Perry Park and Overlook Park near Clinton Lake. And for those seeking to warm up after, locals recommended grabbing coffee or hot chocolate at The Roost, 920 Massachusetts St., The Java Break, 17 E. Seventh St., or Zeb’s Coffeehouse in Eudora, 724 Main St.