Candlelight tour of homes returns

WASHINGTON — The Washington Chamber of Commerce will hold its 31st annual tour of homes this weekend, Dec. 3 and 4.

Proceeds from the ticketed, self-guided event go to the Chamber’s lights around the square. Washington Chamber of Commerce Event Coordinator Alisha Davis said this year’s tour would showcase a diverse selection of houses.

“A variety of different homes is what we try to do,” she said. “A new construction, a remodel, an older historical home, it’s just a variety that … tell about our town and the different homes we have here. Each homeowner decorates so different, and in their own way. Each you just see a different display.”

All of this year’s houses have DIY components, each of them built or heavily renovated by the homeowners.

Homeowners said they were excited to display the product of so much labor.

“We built it in 1975, approximately, and we did a lot of the work ourselves,” said Char Anderson, whose home is on the tour. “We lived in it while we were working on it, and it’s kind of been a labor of love all these years, so we’re proud to show it off.”

For some, preparation was daunting. Homeowner Jenny Morgan said it was a labor of love.

“It’s been stressful — just ask my kids — but I’m excited,” she said. “It’s a lot, having strangers in your house and critiquing what you do.”

For others, the house already happened to be in ship shape.

“We had a house that was relatively easy to get ready for people to walk through since that’s kind of what we do with it every week anyway,” said Clay Whisler, who entered a recently refurbished historical house into the tour, which he rents out as an Airbnb. “There was a lot of interest that people expressed to us about seeing the house, so we thought it would just be a good way to get a bunch of people in there.”

The tour is open from 4-8 p.m. Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Location details are available at the Chamber website.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com