• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Collections, traditions reflected in Elkhorn holiday home showcase

Photo

Photo by Terry Mayer

Kristen Arnett has the table set for the holidays at her Elkhorn home. The Arnett home is one of five stops on the Homes for the Holidays House Walk Nov. 20.

One of many Christmas trees on display in the Arnett home in Elkhorn. The home is one of five stops on the Nov. 20 Homes for the Holidays House Walk. Terry Mayer/staff.

ELKHORN — If you need a little Christmas, right this very minute — or at least some ideas for arranging candles in the window and finding a spot for carols at the spinet — head for the Homes for the Holidays House Walk on Saturday (Nov. 20).

The walk, sponsored by the Elkhorn Area Women’s Club, is in its eighth year raising money for charity by showcasing holiday homes. This year’s proceeds will help fund improvements to Elkhorn parks.

Wishing Well Florist of Elkhorn is donating floral arrangements for homes on the walk.

Among the stops on the 2010 tour are a 19th-century house with a bit of Christmas history, a collector’s paradise, a home-turned-museum and even a miniature estate house.

“One thing that makes the house walks interesting is that you never know what you’re going to find,” said Julia Knight, an artist whose compact condominium is featured on the tour.

Knight’s condo is decorated with her own creative touches, like a large white birdcage, holding gilded ornaments, birds and decorations.

She spotted the cage in a neighbor’s garage and bought it, immediately sensing its potential as a focal point in her living room. She decorates it for holidays year-round.

Knight, whose watercolors and oils are displayed on her walls, finds just the right spot for Christmas décor, from the berry-bright towels in her bathroom to a tiny owl ornament hanging from the knob of a chest of drawers. She also decorated an old walnut writing desk that’s an heirloom.

“It’s been in the family for generations and dates back to the 1800s,” she said.

If you go

The Elkhorn Area Women’s Club is sponsoring its eighth annual Homes for the Holidays House Walk from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 20).

• Three homes, one condo and the Webster House Museum, all decorated for the holidays, will be open for viewing.

• At the end of the walk, refreshments will be served in the community room of Peoples Bank, 837 N. Wisconsin St..

• Tickets can be purchased from any women’s club member, Deakin Isle, the Antiquery or the Pharmacy Station. Tickets cost $10 in advance or $12 at the door of any of the sites. Proceeds benefit Elkhorn parks.

• For more information, call Julia Knight at (262) 723-1934.

Read the full story in the Nov. 14, 2010 e-edition of Walworth County Sunday, PAGE 12A.