Six WC homes to be featured on Holiday Tour

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Six homes fully decorated for the holiday season will be featured on the 2009 Holiday Tour of Homes Sunday.

The event, sponsored by the Webster City Area Development, will be held from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $9 if purchased in advance at the WCAD office, or $10 on the day of the tour. Tickets may be purchased at any stop on the tour.

The Depot Museum, located at the corner of Ohio and Superior Streets will also be featured on the tour. Volunteers have decorated the old railroad building with a tree and other decorations.

At the depot, visitors will be able to shop in the gift shop. Copies of former Webster City resident Mike Ostlund's book, "Find 'Em, Chase 'Em, Sink 'Em," will be for sale. The book is a World War II history of the sinking of the submarine Gudgeon. His uncle, Bill Ostlund, of Webster City, was lost with the rest of the crew.

Packs ofgreeting cards featuring historic Webster City images will also be available. Other items include books on American history, paper dolls, stickers, children's railroad engineer caps and other stocking stuffers, including Pickup Stix, marbles, train whistles, locomotive key chains, finger puppets and beaded necklaces. T-shirts will also be for sale in a variety of sizes.

Homes on the tour are as follows:

Karilynne Lenning and Kelly Fortune - 714 Elm Street

"Our home was built in 1880 by J.W. Young. He settled in Webster City from Hancock Co., Maine, the same area where Kendall Young and F.D. Young are from," according to Lenning. J.W. was a partner in a lumberyard in Webster City and later was appointed by Kendall Young as a member of the first board of trustees for the Kendall Young Library. J.W. and his wife raised 4 children in the house on Elm Street and one of his daughters was married in the living room. They have lived on Elm Street for eight years and love the central location. There is 3,000 square feet of living space which includes five bedrooms, formal dining room, large living room, den with original fireplace. Lenning said their favorite spot in the house during warm weather is the front porch.

Tim and Sara Powers- 836 Walnut Street

This 3,000 sq. ft. home was built in 1878 and has been completely renovated. The five-bedroom home that boasts the original quarter-sawn oak woodwork with detailed open staircase, colonnades, pocket doors, and built-in china hutch. According to the owners, the interior was restored with loads of updates, maintaining the old-home character while giving it an modern update.

Doug and Loween Getter- 2009 Beach Street

Loween and Doug Getter purchased their Beach Street townhome in 2007. The newlyweds were able to add their personal touch on the "blank slate" floor plan.

Those on the tour will find a "suite" of nutcrackers, as well as "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Visitors will also get in the "Christ-Moose" spirit with other whimsical decorations, according to the Getters.

Mike and Dee Dora 102 Apple Avenue

Mike and Dee Dora live a four bedroom, three-and-a-half bath home. The newer, three story house was built in 2000 and has been home to the Dora's for five years, since moving to Webster City from California. Last year was the first year that they had shown their version of Christmas to the Tour.

Coming from broken homes, both Mike and Dee wanted to build a solid Christmas tradition with their own family. Their daughter, Lynn Farrington, who will be keeping the family tradition in her own turn with her husband, John, helps decorate the multiple trees of various sizes and themes throughout the house. The hours and hours of hard work that go into a Dora Family Christmas do not go unappreciated as is clearly evident in the wonder-filled smiles of the couple's grandchildren, Michaela, John Scott and Dorothy.

Tony and Teresa Tempel- 1317 Willson Avenue

"Our house was originally on a lot that was occupied by the Estes House in 1870. The Estes house, which was considered an stately mansion, was built by L.L. Estes," the Tempels stated.

"Our house had one of the original fire places from the Estes home, which we unfortunately took out to make a larger family room," she said. "We still have the marble surround which came from France in the late 1800's in storage in hopes to add it back to the house at a future date. Our home was built in 1971 and has stayed in our family since 1990.

The Tempels bought the home from Patty and Gary Tempel in 2005 and have been slowly updating the house.

Gerald and Bev Huisman- 305 Bicentennial Court

This is a ranch style home built in 2002 with a split bedroom floor plan and four car garage. The home has 2000 square feet of living area on the main floor and features a hickory entertainment center and fireplace along with coffered ceilings and a main floor laundry/craft room. The dining area has patio doors to a deck and a three season porch. All of the interior finishing work was done by the home owners.

For more information about the Holiday Tour of Homes, call the Webster City Area Development office, 832-2564.

Contact Anne Blankenship at editor@freemanjournal.net or call 832-4350.