Newtown Woman's Twinkie Lighthouse Takes Second in Contest

Newtown resident Donna Kern Ball's lighthouse — made entirely of Twinkies, Ho Hos and other Hostess snack cakes — proved a treat for judges at Norwalk's Maritime Aquarium's "Festival of Lighthouses" contest.

For the annual lighthouse-building contest, Kern Ball built eight layers of the creamy snack treats with alternating layers of Ho Hos and even more Twinkies, cut in half. Three levels of Hostess chocolate cupcakes rest under a crown made of — believe it or not — even more Twinkies.

Kern Ball is a veteran of the lighthouse contest — she won in 2011 and came in sixth in 2012.

But this year, her Twinkie lighthouse inspired a social media mini-phenomenon. When Maritime Aquarium employees asked on Facebook how many calories readers thought the sugary lighthouse held, the question went viral, receiving more than 700 guesses. The Aquarium later revealed the number to be 97,150.

"Once again, we were able to offer Aquarium visitors a very fun and creative holiday display, all thanks to the thought and effort that our contestants put into their lighthouses," said Maritime Aquarium marketing director Chris Lloyd. "For that, we are very honored and grateful."

First prize in the contest went to "Hard-A-Lee," created by Stamford's David Bishop.