Tour of Homes Celebrates 30 Years With A Country Twist

Tour of Homes Celebrates 30 Years With A Country Twist

Washington, Iowa  —  November 24th, 2021

The Tour of Homes has 30 years of holiday cheer to celebrate this year.   For this anniversary, the committee decided to do a special edition that features homes located in the country.  This year’s tour has both old and new farmhouses, sponsored by the Washington Chamber of Commerce and will be held December 4 & 5.  The tour offers visitors the opportunity to see a 19th century home, a brand new home built in 2019, a home built in 2014 on a family farm and a home built in 2012 that has salvaged woodwork for a vintage feel.

Scott & Cassie Goodwin’s home at 2266 Hwy 1 & 22 is the 4th home they have built, finished in 2019. A beautiful acreage with an amazing view. Scott has shown his creativity and keen eye on this house. Windows, lighting and walk-in pantry are the favorites.

Located at 2511 190th Street, a 19th Century home built in 1891 by Civil War Capt. James B. Gallagher. Bob & Diane Gallagher are the 5th generation of Gallaghers to live here. The home retains most of the original
woodwork, including a beautiful oak staircase. In 2019, an ensuite was added to provide a downstairs bedroom & bathroom.   Christmas Cookies sponsored by Paneless Window Cleaning will be handed out at this home.

The home of Craig & Tina Montz at 2351 190th St. was built in 2012 and this new home features woodwork salvaged from St. James Rectory, including the staircase. The five acre homestead includes a wood-peg barn that was re-sided in 2014 and it was partially converted to have pigs in 2018. Though the home is new, the inside has a vintage feel.

Mike & Katie Norman live at 1850 170th Street in Wellman.  Their 2300 sq. ft. home was built on the family farm in 2014. The home features an open floor concept with 4 bedrooms, finished basement & farm laundry room. This family loves decorating for the holidays with multiple trees throughout the home. Reminiscing over Christmas tree ornaments is their
favorite holiday pastime.

For our anniversary celebration, homes are not the only feature on this country tour; there are also two business stops that you will want to cruise to.  Wooden Wheel Vineyards located at 1179 IA-92 in Keota was established as a farm in 1854 and a vineyard in 2011.  Join owners Mike & Connie Vincent as they tell the rich stories of pioneer life with many wines dedicated to their ancestors.  Wooden Wheel will be doing wine tastings for tour-goers and don’t forget to get a Peppermint Polaroid to take home that is sponsored by Community 1st Credit Union.   Repurpose It is a shop located at 107 W 2nd Street and is also on the stop, they feature holiday and everyday home décor, furniture, candles and giftables.  There will be a Christmas craft, appetizers and drinks at this stop.

Tour hours are from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  Saturday, December 4 and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday, December 5. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door and are available at the Chamber of Commerce office and participating retailers.  The event’s presenting sponsor is Home Team Advantage Realtors. A special thanks to Washington County Hospitals & Clinics, Junkin’ Sisters Holiday Shop Hop, Christmas in Kalona,  and Jingle Bells 5K Fun Run for their contributing sponsorships.

Since 2018 we have been expanding and improving the holiday lights in our community by converting and replacing the strands to LED bulbs, we have upgraded the fountain and snowflake lights to LED and we have added lights on approximately 15 new buildings.   Since 2018, the Chamber has invested over $35,000 into our community’s holiday lights. We want to thank these partners who have contributed both financially and in-kind over these years: Washington County Riverboat Foundation, City of Washington, Washington Iowa Betterment Foundation, Greiner Buildings, Paneless Windows and BW Construction. These businesses are in addition to the sponsors of our Tour of Homes, which is the primary fundraiser for our holiday lighting season.   We have
approximately 5,500 linear feet of lighting in the downtown area.

The Washington Chamber of Commerce is a non profit organization started in 1935.  It is overseen by a  volunteer Board of Directors.  Our mission is to create a progressive business climate and to promote a high quality of life in the Washington Community. For more information about this event please contact the Washington Chamber at 319-653-3272, email us at [email protected] or visit our website: https://washingtoniowa.gov/experience-our-town/special-events-festivals/tour-of-homes/