Homes for the Holidays tour highlights busy weekend

FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- The 31st Annual Homes for the Holidays tour and Moonlight and Mistletoe tour highlight one of the Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County's busiest weekends of the year.

Activities, which run Dec. 3-5, feature home tours, shopping, music, crafts and food.

Three homes and a historic church are included in the Homes for the Holidays tours, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m., Sunday. Moonlight and Mistletoe, the special Friday evening tour from 6 to 8, will feature the home of Bob and Betty Lemons at Lake Fort Scott. The theme for that special tour is "Home, Home on the Lake."

"That house is a piece of work ... It's like a house within a house," HPA President Don Miller said.

Tour-goers will have a chance on the Moonlight and Mistletoe tour to see a house that started as a lake cottage and was expanded into a larger home. Decorations focus on a traditional Christmas with an emphasis on red, white, blue, gold and silver. There will also be holiday beverages and a light buffet of savory and sweet items.

The homes and church on the tour will also be open to participants in the Moonlight and Mistletoe tour, and each ticket includes admission to Saturday and Sunday's tour events. Tickets are $20 for the Moonlight and Mistletoe tour and the evening is limited to 100 guests. These tickets must be reserved by Wednesday, Dec. 1. Tickets for the Saturday and Sunday tours cost $10.

Miller said guests on the Moonlight and Mistletoe tour will not only be able to enjoy fellowship, but may walk through any of the homes on the tour for as long as they wish and beat the crowds that will form for the tours on Saturday and Sunday.

The Morris house, located at 220 W. Wall St., is a late 19th century residence featuring detailed leaded glass doors, original wood floors and an ornate staircase that are in pristine condition. The theme for this house, "A Hallmark Christmas," honors the 100th anniversary of Hallmark. Various Christmas trees throughout the home will be adorned with several collections of more than 400 Hallmark ornaments. A Hallmark village will also be displayed.

The Tucker home, located at 105 Crescent Dr., in Hillview Addition, focuses on the 1950s, reflecting the era in which the house was built. Platted as part of a subdivision from a family farm, the houses in this addition have a view of both rural areas and the growth of Fort Scott. A wide variety of sleds and snowmen -- old and new -- will decorate the Tucker home, as well as a tree covered with a collection of snowmen ornaments. The theme for the home is "Winter Wonderland of Snowmen and Sleds."

The only house in Fort Scott with a palm tree -- albeit a plastic one -- is Billy Webster's 1929 art deco house located at 1418 S. National Ave. The house stands out amid other primarily older Victorian homes on the city's main street.

Those on the tour will get to view both the distinctive stucco, glass block exterior and streamlined interior of Webster's home. Christmas decorations include aluminum trees with vintage decorations and represent the theme of "Christmas in Miami Beach."

Miller said Webster's house was included on the Homes for the Holidays tour once before at least 15 years ago.

"Its nickname is the Hollywood House," Miller said. "It's an interesting house to go through."

The fourth site on the tour is the First United Methodist Church, 301 S. National Ave. The majestic church was built in 1906. Indiana limestone was brought to Fort Scott for its construction. The church features large stained glass windows and a distinctive dome.

Christmas music will be performed on the hour on Saturday and Sunday at the church. The Sunday worship service will begin at 10:30 a.m.

Admission is free at this site, although tickets will be available for the other sites on the tour.

The annual Stocking Stuffer craft show, bake sale and barbecue will take place Saturday and Sunday at a new location, the former National Guard armory building, located at the corner of 23rd and Horton streets. Admission is free at this site.

This event has taken place in past years at Arnold Arena, but the arena will be hosting Fort Scott Community College basketball games that weekend.

In addition to being an important part of the holiday season in Fort Scott the past three decades, the Homes for the Holidays tour is the major fundraiser for the HPA. Funds have helped to maintain and beautify the Old Congregational Church. Recently, HPA worked in partnership with the city of Fort Scott to provide grants for the restoration of seven downtown buildings.

These projects fulfill the organization's mission of saving historic buildings in Fort Scott and the surrounding area.

Miller said the tours also create a positive impact on the local economy.

"The impact on Fort Scott is huge because of money that is turned over," he said. "Every dollar that HPA takes in turns over seven times before it leaves this community."

Tour tickets are available at the Country Cupboard, 12 N. Main St., life+style, 22 N. Main St., the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall St., the Lyon's Twin Mansions, 742 S. National Ave., and each house.

For more information, visit www.hpabc.org.