Dennisville Christmas House Tour Set For Dec. 16
The 28th annual Historic Dennisville Christmas House Tour will be held Saturday, Dec. 16 from 4-8pm. It will feature nine homes and several historic public buildings. Sponsored by the Dennisville Historic Home Owners Association, thousands enjoy this holiday tradition that has evolved to include the entire community.
“For many years, we’ve focused on and enjoyed community partnerships with the local churches, the volunteer fire company, the Dennisville Post Office and the schools,” says Jack Connolly, the event chairman. “The most interesting and rewarding part of the tour is when I, along with the tour volunteers, walk the streets along with the visitors and we ask them how they are enjoying the tour. We’ve heard: ‘We’ve wanted to do the tour for years and finally we are here, enjoying it very much,’ ‘The homeowners are so friendly,’ ‘The houses are so beautiful,’ ‘It’s so nice that the homeowners take so much time explaining the history of the area, how they improved their homes from sometimes deplorable conditions.’ ”
The homes on the Dennisville Christmas House Tour are every-day, lived-in historic homes. Homeowners have adapted 150-year-old-plus homes to current-day living. During the Christmas House Tour, attendees can expect beautiful and historic décor, unique to each home. Homeowners often show their own decorating styles by adding everything from natural greens and candles, to historic types of trees and tree decorations, to mid-century blow mold figures, painted and glass electric lighting and classic cardboard decorations. This year’s feature house, the Jonathan Crandall House, which dates back to 1813, had its inaugural opening in 2016. Each room is lavishly decorated with mid-century reminders of Christmases past: blow mold figures, painted and glass C9s and C7s, plastic table ornaments and festive cardboard decorations. Another house will focus on G scale train displays, including Thomas the Tank Engine.
In creating a community event, many organizations will also open their doors and assist in making the event a success. Before the event, the South Dennis Trinity Methodist Church will host a soup-and-sandwich supper at 3pm. The post office opens its facility for use as a ticket and greeter center where students from Dennis Township Middle School Student Government Club serve as greeters. There will also be students to greet visitors in the houses in the village. Warm up at the Dennisville United Methodist Church Social Hall, the Dennis Volunteer Fire Station and the Dennis Township Old School House Museum. The Dennisville United Methodist Church will also be open for tours and Dennis Volunteer Fire Company will have antique fire equipment on display. The Middle Township High School a cappella group, The Middletones, will carol their way through the village in costume to entertain guests.
Tickets for the event will be sold for $15 at the Dennisville Post Office (24 Hall Ave.) the day of the tour beginning at 3:30pm. The proceeds will benefit the Dennisville Historic Home Owners Association.
For more information, go to dhhoa.org or contact Jack Connolly at 609-861-1338.
