The Society’s 13th Annual Holiday House
Tour was held on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, December 3rd, 2006. The tour
included five historically and/or architecturally significant homes decorated
for the Holiday Season. The
Model ‘A’ Ford Club antique cars were visible up and
down the side streets of Islip just like yesteryear. Registration for the
Holiday House Tour began promptly at 12 noon despite the committee being
evacuated earlier due to the sounds of a fire alarm. With all of the tour guides
in place, the reception hall being readied for a one ‘o’ clock start, let the
tour begin.
Once again, all of the homes were beautifully decorated for the holidays and
ready to be admired by the eager tour participants. The Clifford home, boasted
an original leaded glass built in china cabinet and a butler’s pantry. The Gunnerson home was unique as it sits on land that was once part of a large cow
farm many years ago. As you entered the Casagrande home it was as if you had
slipped back to another era in time. The newel to the staircase banister came
from a 1910 ship that was possibly owned by Captain Hank Haff. The remaining two
homes were featured on an earlier tour however; it was interesting to see the
changes and updates that were made over the years. The Kreutzer – Plazza home
with its rich history was the site of the original Doxsee family home, clam and
ice factory. The homeowners have remodeled the kitchen to reflect a more open,
contemporary look and a new master bath was completed. The Lee – Delia home
featured many original details, woodwork and a treasured chandelier that was
found in the oval basement. The chandelier now hangs in the formal dining room.
The homeowners have added a wonderful breakfast nook off the kitchen and hard
wood flooring.
After touring all of the beautiful homes, the highlight of the tour was the
reception at the United Methodist Church of Islip. After completing a tour of
the Church, tour participants were invited to the reception hall to sit and
enjoy a warm drink and delicious cookies. The hall was festively decorated with
wreaths, holly, and poinsettias. For the first time in Holiday House Tour
history, the voices of the Twin County Chorus of Sweet Adeline entertained one
and all with holiday music. The Society would like to extend a very special
thank you to Jean and Peter Freeman for all of their hard work, dedication and
effort that was put forth to make the Society’s auction a successful one. The
Society would like to thank the United Methodist Church of Islip for once again
doing an outstanding job of hosting our Holiday House Tour reception.
In keeping with the holiday spirit, for the thirteenth year in a row the Society
sponsored a collection drive for the United States Marine Corps’ “Toys for Tots”
program. While distributing Holiday House Tour tickets, the Society informed
participants of the toy drive being held at Islip Town Hall Rotunda during tour
registration. As a result, the collection was a success as participants and
committee members filled bins with toys for needy children in our community. A
special thank you to everyone who donated toys to this worthwhile cause.
The success of the Holiday House Tour depends heavily on the commitment and
dedication of the many volunteers who help us stage Islip’s very own holiday
spectacular. The Society thanks all of the tour guides for working with both the
homeowners and participants to insure a smooth flow through the houses. The
Society also would like to thank the reception area hostesses for their
excellent work at getting the hall decorated and ready for the house tour
participants and for keeping our guests happy by filling the cookie baskets and
having the warm drinks flowing. The Society also thanks the Town of Islip for
having Town Hall Rotunda beautifully decorated inside and out for our use.
Lastly, the Society thanks its members, with out whose financial support the
tour would not have been possible. If you would like to become more involved,
why not volunteer your time and join the Holiday House Tour Committee. If
interested please contact the Society either by phone or mail.
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