Preservation of Historic Winchester

Due to the extraordinary weather circumstances for this year’s tour, a refund policy for the Sunday Daylight tour is in place. You may return your physical tickets to PHW’s office at 530 Amherst St., Winchester, VA, 22601. Please indicate whether you would prefer to make a tax-deductible donation to PHW for the price of your admission tickets, or if you would prefer a refund.

Unfortunately, we are unable to reschedule the tour. We thank all our volunteers and homeowners who worked so valiantly to prepare for inclement weather today. However, the safety issues this year were too great to proceed on Sunday.

Please note the PHW office opening hour may be delayed on Monday, December 9 due to the weather and potential slipperiness of the PHW parking lot and driveway. Please stay safe, and do not attempt to drive up the hill if it appears icy!

Breaking news: Conditions are bad enough the Holiday House Tour has been cancelled for the first time in 37 years. Please stay tuned for information on unused Daylight tickets.

The Bough and Dough Shop will also be closed.

A few last reminders and announcements for the 2013 Holiday House Tour this weekend:

• All Holiday House Tours and Bough and Dough Shop activities will proceed regardless of weather conditions on Saturday and Sunday.
• In case of inclement weather on Sunday, the costumed strolling carolers from the Winchester Little Theatre will unfortunately not be able to join us. The other musical entertainment will proceed as planned.
• Advance tickets for the tour will be on sale December 7 and December 8 at the Bough and Dough Shop at 315 West Boscawen Street only. No other advance ticket sale locations will have tickets for sale on Saturday or Sunday.
• All remaining Preview Party tickets also will be on sale December 7 at the Bough and Dough Shop at 315 West Boscawen Street only. No other advance ticket sale locations will have Party tickets for sale on Saturday.
• You may come to the free wreath-making class without having made a reservation or having bought House Tour tickets. Go to the Bough and Dough Shop 10 AM on Saturday, December 7. Remember to bring your own gardening gloves and handheld trimmers if you have them; other materials will be provided.
• You may purchase tickets at the door of any house on the tour from 1-5 PM Sunday; ticket prices at the door are $25.
• You may purchase admission to a single home on the tour at the door of any site on the tour Sunday from 1-5 PM; a single site admission is $5.
• Do you plan to pay for your tickets with a credit or debit card? The only location where cards are accepted is at the Bough and Dough Shop. Cash or checks only at the houses, please!

Time has flown this year to the Holiday House Tour. As we enter the final stretch leading up to our Stroll on Stewart Street, we want to post a few friendly reminders:

• Tickets will be gathered from the ticket sale locations on the afternoon of Friday, December 6.
• On Saturday, December 7, the only location which will be selling advance Holiday House Tour Tickets is the Bough and Dough Shop at the Winchester Little Theatre, 315 West Boscawen Street. The Shop is open from 10 AM-5 PM on Saturday and there is no admission fee to visit the Shop.
• Don’t forget to visit the Shop from 10 AM-Noon on December 7 for a free wreath-making class. Bring your own trimmers and gloves, but the materials will be provided. Make one wreath for yourself and a second to sell at the Shop.
• The Preview Party begins at 6 PM on December 7. We recommend Party-goers start at the Preview Party house, 520 South Stewart Street.
• The Bough and Dough Shop reopens on Sunday, December 8, from noon-5 PM, again as the only location which will be selling advance Holiday House Tour Tickets. Tickets for the tour purchased at the door of the houses on the tour will be $25.
• The house tours start at 1 PM and continue until 5 PM. You may visit the homes on the tour in any order; in fact we encourage you to spread out if you see the lines are especially long at one site.

If you have other questions, don’t hesitate to contact PHW at (540) 667-3577 or phwi@verizon.net.

This Thanksgiving, PHW is thankful for all the wonderful homeowners, volunteers, artisan vendors at the Bough and Dough Shop, advance ticket sale locations, and sponsors of the Holiday House Tour. The Tour could not happen without their support. Many (but not all!) of these supporters have been recognized in the past blog posts, but one large category has so far gone unnamed: our sponsors.

Please take a few moments and look through the Holiday House Tour booklet to see our sponsors’ advertisements. Their ads made our dreams of a program booklet a reality this year with their financial support.

Holiday House Tour Program Booklet, PDF (4 MB)

As a reminder, the PHW office will also be closed on Friday, November 29. We will reopen as usual on Monday, December 2.

If you don’t have time for the full Holiday House Tour experience, you can still stop in to shop, learn how to make a wreath, and take in the festive holiday atmosphere at the Bough and Dough Shop at 315 West Boscawen Street. Admission to the Shop is free and open to anyone, so stop by and check it out!

Featured Artisans at the Shop
Jackie Tobin: Ornaments, greenery arrangements & more
Mary Turner of “Valley Stream Marketplace”: Variety of Homespun items
Lin Hausknecht of ”Shenandoah Potter’s Guild”: Handcrafted pottery
Karen Cartlidge of “Homespun Creations”: Hand-sewn crafts including casserole carriers, pot holders, table runners, placemats & more
Sharon T. Music of “Creations from Harmony Hill”: Handcrafted wool
Nina Burke of “Polymer Clay Jewelry”: Jewelry
Caroline Ott of “Beads of Color”: Handmade beaded jewelry
Avery Snyder: Holiday luminaries
Becky Parish of “A Matter of Taste”: Sweet baked goods
Narelle Jackson: Sweet baked goods
Shauna Lupton: Crocheted bead jewelry
Alma Dove: Sterling silver jewelry
Jose & Mary Montero-Maderia: Handcarved wood utensils

Also Available
Freshly cut greens including pine, juniper, magnolia, boxwood, and nandina
Decorated wreaths and premade bows
Advance tickets for the Holiday House Tour (both Saturday Preview Party and Sunday Daylight tickets)

New This Year
The Shop can process major credit cards through PayPal Here in addition to cash and checks.

Bough and Dough Shop
315 West Boscawen Street

Open Dec. 7, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Dec. 8, noon-5 p.m.
Admission to the Bough and Dough Shop is free

Events at the Bough and Dough Shop
Free Wreath-making Lesson: Dec. 7, 10 a.m.-noon
Musical Entertainment: Dec. 8, 1:30-3:30 p.m.

House Chairman: Dolly Vachon
House Decorator: Nate Windle
Shop Co-Chairs: Debra L. Johnson and Jackie Tobin
Caroler Leader: Kendra Getaz
Caroler Costumer: Marian Cerwensky

Start your tour off right at the Bough and Dough Shop, no ticket needed for admission. The Shop offers fresh cut greenery for your holiday decorating. Baked goods and handcrafts from local artists are available for gift-giving. Don’t miss the free wreath-making lesson on Saturday morning and the live musical entertainment by Sandy Lore and Dave Prince on Sunday. Keep an eye out for carolers from the Winchester Little Theatre in period costumes strolling the tour route on Sunday.

The Theatre occupies a former Pennsylvania Railroad freight depot built circa 1890. The hipped roof over the brick exterior provides cover for the freight loading dock. The interior was modified to accommodate live theatre performances by the Winchester Little Theatre. The Theatre moved into its railway home in 1974 and has provided critically acclaimed professional-quality live theatre to the community ever since. 

Preview Party
520 South Stewart Street
Open Saturday, Dec. 7, 6-9 p.m. only
The Home of Bruce and Donna Downing
House Decorator Donna Downing

The Downings moved into their 1929 Colonial Revival home in 1978. The house was built by Lucretia Wood Ely. Mrs. Ely, her two daughters and a son-in-law, Ben Arthur, all resided in the house at one time. The home borrows its styling from early American building traditions with small pane windows, a pedimented porch with columns protecting the sidelights and transom around the front entry and a symmetrical façade balanced by porch additions on both sides. The Downings have maintained the historic integrity of their home over the years while making changes to accommodate their family needs. The rear sunroom was expanded in 1983 and an elevator was installed in 1984. A pergola connected the house to the garage in 1985 and a rear screened-in porch was added in 1999. The kitchen renovation done in 2003 extended the south façade while protecting the majestic oak tree outside their kitchen window.

The house is furnished with family heirlooms and fine art pieces created by local and regional artists. Deirdre Cochran will entertain guests during the party with live dulcimer music.