26th annual house walk tickets now on sale
The interiors of five private homes will be featured on the tour this year. The exteriors of two other historic homes will also be highlighted.
The homes featured this year, both inside and outside, are: 502 S. Wa-Pella Ave., owned by Jeff and Julie LaCamera; 406 S. Wa-Pella Ave., owned by the Robert Moats Family; 501 W. Lincoln Ave., owned by George and Nancy Vincent; 407 S. Hi-Lusi Ave., owned by Edward and Laura Wiertel; and 405 W. Sha-Bonee Tr., owned by Rick and Hanna Steinkuehler.
The exteriors of 415 S. Wa-Pella Ave. and 417 S. Hi-Lusi Ave. will also be highlighted with historical notes featured on a lighted podium.
All of the homes will be exciting to tour in their own ways, whether because of the historic flavor, lovely decorating or the renovation work that has been done, according to Jill Tumberger, Housewalk co-chairperson.
Tour-goers will pick up their programs at a heated tent on the green space in front of
406 S.Wa-Pella Ave. There will be refreshments offered and a display of watercolors of the featured houses, as well as the museum store housed there. The “will call” table for tickets ordered through PayPal will also be located in the tent.
As usual, this walking tour will be accented by beautifully-lit luminaria. Parking will be available along neighborhood streets and in the southern end of the St. Raymond's Catholic Church parking lot, at Route 83 and Sha-Bonee Trail.
Commentary in the homes will be provided by volunteers from local organizations, businesses, schools and the community. Local florists and homeowners will provide the decorations. This year's featured florists are Busse Flowers and Gifts of Mount Prospect, Gigi's Blossoms and Baskets and Pesche's Flowers of Des Plaines and Mariano's Market of Arlington Heights.
Tickets will be sold for $25 each through Dec. 5 at First Merit Bank, 50 N. Main St.; Mount Prospect State Bank, 299 W. Central Rd.; Busse Flowers and Gifts, 100 E. Northwest Highway; River Trails' Weiss Center, 1500 E. Euclid Ave.; Lions Park, 411 S. Maple St.; Millie's Hallmark, 1024 S. Elmhurst Rd., Dave's Specialty Foods, 105 W. Prospect Ave., and the Dietrich Friedrichs House museum, 101 S. Maple St.
Tickets are also available through PayPal at www.mtphist.org. Those tickets can be picked up at a “will call” desk located inside the tent during the walk.
Tickets may also be purchased on the day of the walk, beginning at 3 p.m. at the tent, but the cost will be $27 per person at that time.
“The Housewalk is the Society's largest fund-raiser of the year,” explains Tumberger. “Its proceeds support the many educational endeavors of the Society and help to pay for upkeep on our more than 100-year-old museum. We urge the public to support our effort to preserve local history through enjoying the Housewalk and our other activities throughout the year.”
Phone the Society at 847/392-9006 for more information or log onto www.mtphist.org.
This year's walk is sponsored by Novak and Parker appliances and Mrs. P & Me restaurant, both of Mount Prospect.