Tour some of Batavia's beautiful houses Saturday
Fess up: You've driven by that yellow-and-white house on Route 31 north of downtown Batavia - the one with the wraparound porch and white picket fence, that looks like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting - and thought "That's so cute! I wonder what they've done on the inside."
Saturday is your chance to find out.
"Everybody wants to see that one," said Sharon Harwick, chairman of the Batavia House Walk. The house is one of five featured on the tour, which raises money for Batavia MainStreet, an organization that promotes the economy of downtown Batavia.
A committee began looking for houses in January. They found houses by listening to word-of-mouth recommendations, asking people they knew, and "sometimes walking up and knocking on the door," Harwick said.
One of her favorite spots on the tour is in a house on Jefferson Street, in which a woman has devoted a room to her collection of antique hats.
"It is fabulous," Harwick said.
For $25 in advance, $30 day of, you can tour the houses from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Your ticket also gets you in to a tea at the old Louise White School, 24 N. Washington Ave.
Tickets may be purchased in advance at downtownbatavia.com, or at Bee-Attitudes Antiques (9 S. Batavia Ave.), Sue's Family Hair Co. (139 S. Batavia Ave.), K. Hollis Jewelers (147 S. Randall Road), Limestone Coffee and Tea (15 E. Wilson St.), and Gibby's Wine Den in Geneva (1772 S. Randall Road), as well as the Batavia MainStreet office (41/2 W. Wilson St., downstairs). Day-of tickets will be sold at the school.
The theme of this year's walk is "The Art of Living in Batavia," to tie in with the recent opening of the Water Street Studios artists' cooperative in downtown Batavia.
"The Art of Custom" features a new house built to look old, inspired by a Sears Catalog home. "The Art of Quilting" showcases a Prairie-style home with handmade quilts, pottery and artwork created by talented family members. "The Art of Fashion" features family heirloom vintage fashions from the 1860s. "The Art of Folk" features hand-painted folk murals and a secret garden in the backyard. And that yellow house is "The Art of Interior Design" - the owner is an interior designer.
There are also four business open houses. Bee-Attitudes has refreshments and sales up to 40 percent off from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eclectibles (3 Webster St.) has refreshments and sales, and Water Street Studios, 160 S. Water St., has an open house from 2 to 5 p.m. The Past and Present Shoppes, at Grant and State streets just east of the bridge in North Aurora, is also hosting a wine-and-cheese open house from 4 to 6 p.m.
More information is available at bataviahousewalk.com.
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>What:</b> Batavia MainStreetHouse Walk, featuring five homes and the "Old" Louise White School</p> <p class="factboxtext12col"><b>When:</b> 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25</p> <p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Where:</b> Start at The Depot Museum on Houston Street, Batavia</p> <p class="factboxtext12col"><b>How much?</b> $25 in advance, $30 at the door</p> <p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Details:</b> <a href="http://bataviahousewalk.com" target="new">bataviahousewalk.com</a></p>