Garden Club to hold ‘Songs of the Season’ house tour

The Canton Garden Club’s Holiday House Tour, “Songs of the Season,” starts tomorrow, December 7. Club members have decorated three local homes and Pequitside Farm for this year’s fundraiser.

Cheryl James, chairman of the Garden Club’s Holiday House Tour

“They’re quite different,” said Marie Duffy of the three homes. Duffy, who handles publicity for the club, explained that the process starts in the summer when club members choose the homes for the tour and begin to outline plans for the decorations.

The first home on the tour belongs to Alan Freedman and Cheryl James and is located at 14 Williams Street.

“It’s a beautiful home,” Duffy said. “It’s on the Reservoir.” Club members spent hours creating decorations for both the inside of the home, including the lovely blue foyer, as well as the grounds.

Albert and Diane Callahan will open their home at 54 Messinger Street for the tour.

“It has beautiful masonry,” Duffy said. “Albert did all the work himself.” Copper planters filled with greens decorate the landing, and the smell of homemade gingerbread will fill the country kitchen.

Visitors will then proceed to the third home, owned by Michael and Sarah Nemetz at 319 Sherman Street.

“It’s the old Endicott House,” Duffy said. Built in 1878, the home has seasonal decorations at the entrance and an elegantly decorated tree inside.

After visiting the three houses, visitors will have a different experience at Pequitside Farm at 79 Pleasant Street. In 1809, the Reverend William Ritchie, who was the fourth pastor of First Parish Church, built the Federal-style building. Club members have created a Christmas Eve celebration, with a tree decorated with musical instruments and local choral groups welcoming people with the songs of the season. The Garden Club will sell greens, swags, wreaths, and baked goods at Pequitside.

The Canton Garden Club was organized in 1930 and the Holiday House Tour tradition began in 1956. “Everything is handmade,” Duffy said of the arrangements in each home — something she believes draws visitors to the tour.

“They’re just so beautiful,” she said. “You get a lot of decorating ideas for your home.”

The proceeds from the tour will be used to fund the Garden Club’s annual scholarship and to support beautification projects in Canton. Club members fill the Welcome to Canton boxes with flowers in the spring and fall. They maintain several traffic islands as well as the grounds of the Canton Historical Society.

Each year, members create holiday arrangements for the dining room tables and nurses’ desks at the Massachusetts Hospital School. For the past several years, they have celebrated Arbor Day by planting a tree at different locations in town, including Town Hall, the Canton Public Library, and the new police station.

The Holiday House Tour will be held tomorrow from 1-8 p.m. and on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at Pratt Realtors and Helen’s Hair Styling, or by contacting Pat Ouellet at 781-690-2142 or patriciaouellet@hotmail.com. Tickets will also be available at each of the homes and at Pequitside Farm.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Dec 6 2012. Filed under Uncategorized. Both comments and pings are currently closed.