By Pepper Parr
November 14th, 2106
BURLINGTON, ON
If the number of people who toured the houses the day the Gazette covered the event – then the 34th Annual Junior League Holiday House Tour was a success.
Three homes were on the tour this year with the Hampton Court House in Burlington drawing the biggest crowds.
It is a very large house that had undergone a significant renovation with more than 1000 sq. ft. of space added to what was a house on a double lot.
As we watched the crowds of people waiting to enter the house we noticed that the age range of the visitors was pretty consistent – 25 to 45 – seemed to be the age of the bulk of the visitors.
There were 12 guides scattered through the house that had been opened up, especially on the main floor where a lot of walls were removed.
Keeping the flow of people moving smoothly fell to the crew that met you at the door. You first had to remove your shoes and put them in a bag that was provided. Then the guides pointed in the direct they expected you to go.
Not always that easy but one of the guides, we won’t identify her, but her initials are EM, was superb at handing out the instructions. Polite, direct and efficient, so much so that we asked if she was perhaps a serving police officer. No she replied but I do love this job.
Traffic moved – efficiently
Then you moved from room to room taking it all in
On the main floor, in the kitchen that had two islands, small groups of woman would gather and debate the merits of the design and the placement of different pieces of furniture.
Much attention was paid to the colours used – “Thunder white” was used extensively apparently. Each house on the tour – there were three had a team of “reps” the people who made sure everything went smoothly during the months that led up to the event.
Dianne Brown and Iris Hughes, co-chairs of the Holiday House Tour spent endless hours over many months getting everything in place. Securing space for people to park their cars and putting the shuttle buses in place was not as simple as many people thought it should be. The bumps got ironed out – eventually.
The members of the Junior League operation were enjoying themselves. They will be holding information evenings on January 14th and 28th – you might want to note the date and touch base with these people at info@juniorleague.ca
The Annual Holiday House tour raises funds for a number of projects.