On the surface, a Christmas Tour of Homes in Columbus would seem to have nothing in common with a vacation Beth and Duff Jeffers once took, but look again. While in Jamaica several years ago, the Jeffers wanted to explore beyond the tourist periphery. A random Internet search turned up information on Riverside Baptist Church in Martha Brae, Jamaica, and the missionaries who started it, Marilyn and Mack Locklear from Rome, Georgia. The Jeffers wasted little time in setting out visit the small community.
What they found inspired them to learn more about the needs of the island nation’s people, and to support Riverside’s ministry and the Noah’s Ark Children’s Home the Locklears have established.
The Jeffers were delighted when the opportunity opened to organize a local team from First United Methodist Church for a 2016 missions trip to Martha Brae. Soon, ideas to help fund the work volunteers hope to accomplish were percolating. As a result, a Christmas Tour of Homes featuring five houses ready for the holidays takes place Sunday, Dec. 13, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
On tour
Homes welcoming visitors will be the First Methodist Parsonage at 1008 Third Ave. N., Highland House at 810 Highland Circle, Ole Magnolia at 1219 Third Ave. N., Rosewood Manor at 719 Seventh St. N. and Snowdoun at 906 Third Ave. N.
“We want to make this tour fun,” said Beth Jeffers. “There will be entertainment at each house.” Santa and Miz Claus will greet tour-goers along the way, as will entertainers ranging from pianists and organists to vocalists and musicians.
Celeta and Dr. James Holzhauer look forward to a lively atmosphere at Highland House, where Doug Browning and the Night Crawlers will perform.
Celeta Holzhauer has been busy decorating the 14-foot tree near the entrance of the 9,000-square foot Greek style mansion. The job requires three ladders of varying heights, and she does all the work herself.
“The tree has become a tradition; people pass by and can see it from the street through the glass doors,” she said. “If I can make one person happy and smile, it’s worth all the work to get it ready.”
The Holzhauers enjoy sharing the house. It offers a glimpse into early 20th century Columbus.
“When Mr. (W.S.) Lindamood built it, he built it for people; he loved to entertain. … When visitors walk in, the scale of these big rooms can instantly take you back to when the house was built in 1902. You can imagine all the ladies in their dresses, happy, everyone dressed up, and a big fire in the fireplace –and the music of Christmas.”
An earlier era
Three tour homes architecturally represent the pre-Civil War, or antebellum, period.
Rosewood Manor, circa 1835, is the home of Grayce and Dewitt Hicks. The dwelling with a Greek Revival facade and Federal influence sits on more than four acres that include a charming chapel thought to be well more than 100 years old.
“All the rooms will be open. You don’t get that on most tours,” said Grayce Hicks. “It’s going to be a really beautiful tour in Columbus for anyone to come on and enjoy.”
At Ole Magnolia, circa 1853, homeowners Lee and Pete Tortorici are decorating six trees in their Greek Revival home.
“I’m so excited. I love history and architecture, and I love Christmas,” said Lee Tortorici. “I couldn’t be happier to be putting them together.”
At Snowdoun, built in 1854, Ashley and Lt. Col. Wayne Chitmon are also putting up six trees and arranging an extensive collection of snow village pieces Ashley Chitmon has collected since she was a young girl.
“It’s a fun take on decorating for the holidays,” she said.
First Methodist Director of Student Ministries Trey Skaggs and his wife, Heather, and their children will share their 1920s parsonage home as well. Expect something for the young and young-at-heart to enjoy there, and bring a camera for photos with St. Nick and Miz Claus.
“We view the parsonage as an extension of the church, and we’re very fortunate and blessed to be able to live and raise our children there — and we’re excited to partner with the church for the trip to Jamaica,” Trey Skaggs said, emphasizing the cause at the heart of the tour.
February outreach
Currently, 11 adults are signed up for the Feb. 20-26, 2016, trip. They will stay in the modest community that is home to the Riverside Church and the Noah’s Ark Children’s Home that houses eight boys at present. The group will carry out labor-intensive projects at both locations, and work with some of the children after school. They also plan to build an addition to a community member’s existing home.
A typical dwelling in Martha Brae is a hut made of scavenged materials. Other missions teams have built some basic 12-by-12-foot houses, Jeffers said. Thanks to a generous local donor, the Columbus team will be able to add two rooms to one to help better accommodate a large family.
“Our blessing was that the funds for the home were donated,” said Jeffers. “We hope to match that (in fundraising) if we can.” Team members will cover their own costs for the trip.
Jamaica, it is said, is a land of extremes. The island is home to plush resorts, but beyond them, a significant number of its people live with great hardship. The Columbus missions team hopes to make a difference. The Christmas Tour of Homes will help it happen.
How to go
Advance tour tickets are available at the First Methodist Church office at 602 Main St., or at The Fitness Factor at 515 18th Ave. N. Advance tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and $10 for children ages 5-10.
Tickets (and maps) will also be available on tour day at any featured home. Those tickets will be $25 for adults, $20 for students and $15 for children ages 5-10. Courtesy transportation via van and double decker bus, weather permitting, will be available approximately every half-hour from the First Methodist Sixth Street South parking lot.
For more information about the tour or tickets, contact the First Methodist office at 662-328-5252, or The Fitness Factor at 662-327-6348.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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