Austin Parks and Recreation Department’s Fifth Annual Gingerbread History Heroes Program kicks off Monday, December 2, 2024, and runs through Tuesday, December 31, 2024. The Department is distributing free salt dough “gingerbread cookie” ornaments and decorating supplies at the following museums, cultural centers, and historic sites across Austin:

• Brush Square Museums (O. Henry Museum and Susanna Dickinson Museum), 409 E 5th St.

• Asian American Resource Center, 8401 Cameron Rd.

• Elisabet Ney Museum, 304 E 44th St.

• French Legation State Historic Site, 802 San Marcos St.

• George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, 1165 Angelina St.

• Old Bakery and Emporium, 1006 Congress Ave.

• Park Ranger Station at Zilker Caretaker's Cottage, 2105 Andrew Zilker Rd.

Austinites are invited to decorate an ornament as their favorite figure from Texas history such as Joan Means Khabele, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Selena, Matt Gaines, Elisabet Ney, Barbara Jordan, Doug Sahm, Gus Garcia, Walter Burton, Ann Richards, Lydia Mendoza, and Sam Houston.

The Fifth Annual Gingerbread History Heroes Program is free of charge for all Austinites. This holiday season, visit a participating Austin historical site and create your favorite Texas History Hero!