The Osage City Chamber of Commerce will sponsor the annual Osage City Holiday Tour of Homes, 4-7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. The tour participants will have the opportunity to enjoy visiting four homes that reflect the festive holiday season.
Tickets are $5, available prior to the tour at Ramblin’ Rose and available at each of the homes the day of the tour. All proceeds from the sale of tickets will be used toward the maintaining and improvements at Santa Fe Park.
The four featured homes are those of: Pat Gundy, 913 Schenk St.; Charlie and Donna Martin, 1344 Brant St.; Marc and Janet McFarland, 604 S. Sixth St.; and Bill and Lorraine Renner, 735 Lakin St. (SW corner of Eighth and Lakin).
Pat Gundy’s home was built in 1998 by Lebo Dream Homes. The three bedroom ranch has a definite country charm. Pat loves to decorate for Christmas, showing off her collection of Santas and Simpich Angels (handmade angels from Colorado Springs). In addition to her Claus and Angels, she has a love for Christmas dishes as well as her Blue Willow dishes. You will find her handmade Christmas quilts scattered throughout the home. In the backyard, you will find Grandma’s Cabin, which adds to the country feel of the home.
The home of Charlie and Donna Martin was built in 1971 by Charlie and the construction crew from Martin Material Co. The ranch style home underwent a remodel in 1999, when Charlie opened up walls in the kitchen making a more open floor plan. In the past 48 years, the home has seen numerous gatherings and celebrations with family and friends.
Marc and Janet McFarland’s house sits on historic Sixth Street and is 117 years old. The house was built in 1902, and they purchased the house in May 1986. They have lived in the house for 33 years and raised two grown children. They added on another 1,300 square feet to the house in 1997. They have restored the house themselves. The house has one original fireplace, and they added two other fireplaces to their two great rooms, which Janet loves to decorate for all seasons. You will see Janet’s Santa collection, and she will also display quilts from her late mother, Romona Bartee, and from her neighbor, Mary Jo Hodge, whom they’ve lived beside for 33 years. She also displays Christmas pictures that her father gave her mother throughout the years, and antique furniture from her parents and grandparents.
Bill and Lorraine Renner’s new home sits on the site where Lorraine grew up. The property has been in her family for 60 years. They razed the old house four years ago and a new manufactured home was set in the fall of 2018. One landmark that was left during demolition of the old home was a fruit cellar or “the cave” a focal point of the property that also will be open for touring.
Information thanks to Osage City Chamber of Commerce.
