NEW BUFFALO, Mich. — Visitors entering Four Winds New Buffalo will be immediately greeted by the smell of Christmas for the next few weeks.

A few steps later, they’ll find out why.

In the grand lobby at the main entrance of the casino stands a 23-foot-long, 4-foot-wide, 8-foot-tall train — and it’s completely edible.

The culinary masterpiece is made of more than 1,700 pounds of gingerbread, approximately 240 pounds of chocolate, 30 pounds of cooked sugar and 165 pounds of royal icing to decorate and put the gingerbread together.

Craig Lewkowitz, executive chef for Four Winds Casinos said he wanted to do a different display than in past years.

“Actually I was doing some shopping and when I walked into a store there was a large metal train set out that was being used as a decoration. I thought that would make a neat addition,” Lewkowitz said. “I wanted to keep it fresh, so this year we did a train.”

Previous displays have included a large gingerbread village and a 20-foot-tall gingerbread house.

“This is a collaboration. It took about 16 people about 240 man hours to build it,” Lewkowitz said, recounting the long hours of planning, mixing dough and icing, rolling out dough and assembling the large sculpture. The chef said people from all over the casino helped, including kitchen staff and carpenters.

Inside the train are two compartments — a naughty compartment filled with coal and a nice compartment filled with gifts. With the exception of the coal and the gifts, the entire sculpture is edible.

“It’s pretty traditional. I think there’s a lot of conventional hotels and casinos that put a display up,” Lewkowitz said. “People really like to see it, and they especially like the aroma. People say it really evokes the holiday.”

The display was installed on Dec. 1 and will remain in the grand lobby until Dec. 26.

Meanwhile, guests can visit Four Winds New Buffalo for a number of other holiday events, including a free concert at the Hard Rock Café Four Winds and a holiday buffet.

On Friday Dec. 12, country music artist Clare Dunn will perform a free concert at the Hard Rock Café Four Winds beginning at 9 p.m.

Dunn is known for hit singles such as “Get Out” and “Cowboy Side of You” and has opened for country music stars Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line, Colt Ford, Parmalee, Hank Jr. and Jamey Johnson.

More information about the artist is available at http://claredunn.com.

Guests are also invited to the buffet at Four Winds New Buffalo on Christmas Day for an all-day prime rib and shrimp buffet prepared by Lewkowitz and his kitchen staff. The buffet is available from noon to 9 p.m. and is $28 for adults, $19 for children under 12 and free for children 3 and under.