Holiday Festival Walking Tour

Will Showcase Local Homes

By Nancy K. Crevier

The 24th Annual Holiday Festival, presented this year by Newtown Savings Bank to benefit Newtown Youth & Family Services, will once again feature a tour of local homes on Sunday, December 6, from 11 am to 5 pm, as part of the day long event that heralds the holiday season in Newtown.

Three of the five homes featured this year are directly on Main Street, and one is just off of Main Street on Schoolhouse Hill Road. The fifth home on the tour is located on Tory Lane, off of Mt Pleasant Road. Shuttle buses will be running from Newtown Middle School to Main Street holiday events throughout the day, and will be available to bring festivalgoers between the homes, said festival chairperson Layne Lescault. Visitors are welcome at the homes anytime during the tour hours.

While the house tour is a huge draw for the Annual Holiday Festival, several other activities on and near Main Street add to the spirit of the season. Newtown Savings Bank employees will be on hand at The Alexandria Room in Edmond Town Hall to serve up hot tea, mulled cider, scones, and tea breads at the Victoria Tea Room, a popular “break spot” during the Sunday Holiday Festival. The Victorian Tea Room will be open from 11 am to 4 pm, with local music students providing background entertainment.

More entertainment will be found in the theater of Edmond Town Hall at 1 and 3 pm, when students of the Malenkee Ballet Repertoire Company present excerpts from The Nutcracker Ballet.

From 9 am to 4 pm, more than 30 juried craftspeople will fill the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium. Shoppers will find a wide variety of handcrafted artwork for sale there.

Other Holiday Festival events include the Festival of Trees where decorated trees, wreaths, gift baskets, holiday centerpieces, and other holiday decorations, donated by individuals, businesses and organizations, will be on display in the C.H. Booth Library meeting room, on Saturday, December 5, 9:30 am to 5 pm, as well as Sunday, December 6, from 11 am to 5 pm. Raffle tickets may be purchased at the Festival of Trees to bid on any of the items. Winners do not need to be present to win.

Also in the library on Sunday will be is the Gingerbread House Contest. Contest entries will be exhibited in the lobby by the second floor entrance from 11 am to 4 pm. The winner will be announced at 5 pm.

Entrance to all of the homes on the house tour, the Victorian Tea Room, the ballet performances, and the craft fair is included in ticket price of $15 per individual, or $25 for a family of four, with a $5 additional charge per child. Tickets can be purchased at Newtown Savings Bank branches in Danbury, Monroe, Bethel Stony Hill, Southbury, and Sand Hill Plaza and Main Street in Newtown; NYFS offices at 17 Church Hill Road and 121 Mt Pleasant Road; and C.H. Booth Library. Tickets will be available only at the library on Sunday, December 6. There is no charge for events at the library.

“The Holiday Festival is possible due to the caring and dedication of businesses like Newtown Savings Bank,” said Beth Agen, NYFS executive director, in a recent press release. “Without their financial and volunteer support we couldn’t pull off an event of this magnitude. For them and the other sponsors we are infinitely grateful.”

The Newtown Savings Bank 24th Annual Holiday Festival to benefit NYFS is pleased to present the following homes on this year’s Holiday Festival house tour, with information provided by the Holiday Festival committee:

10 Main Street

This beautiful five-bay Colonial Revival style home of Catherine Procaccini was built in 1930. Architectural details of the façade of the house include paired windows with six over six arrangement, and Doric columns supporting the front porch. 

The original owner had it built as his residence after selling his land to the state as part of the parcel where Fairfield Hills State Hospital would be built. Previous owners have included a judge and a doctor who had his office and examination room in the home.

The red barn to the back of the house is original. There was a pond in the back yard of the house that served as a skating pond for area residents.

Visitors will see a very traditional style of holiday decorating inside 10 Main Street, said Heidi Brisson of Newtown, owner of In The Details decorating service. Utilizing Ms Procaccini’s collection of classic angels, In The Details has set an ivory and gold theme throughout the home.

This home is sponsored by sponsored by Nanavaty, Nanavaty & Davenport.

65 Main Street

Owned by George and Ellie Whalen, this home is an example of a high-style Italianate residence. It was built in 1867, as indicated by a granite marker in the cellar, and holds a prominent position at the head of Main Street.

Nine-foot ceilings, beautifully detailed crown moldings, wonderful four-over-four rounded high windows and spacious sun-filled rooms are some of the architectural details that make this home such a showpiece, and provide a feeling of grandeur.  The current owners have done extensive work to bring the home back to its original beauty.

Graced by a fine old pegged barn, this property was once a small active farm owned by George Mayer. Although he had mostly retired as a farmer and had moved into town, people would stop at the Mayer house for milk.  Milk was also transported from here to Bridgeport.

A very traditional and elegant décor in keeping with the period of the house will be achieved through the use of fresh greens and berries, and a color theme of red and green, said Arlene McCarthy, Lexington Gardens floral manager in charge of decorating the Whalen home. Beautiful centerpieces for the tables, urns filled with greens, and freshly made swags will adorn doorways throughout the home, Ms McCarthy said, to create a tasteful and simple interior for the holidays.

78 Main Street

This circa 1760 saltbox is an example of Revolutionary War-era architecture. The home, now owned by Andrew and Colleen Bryant, was originally built by Eustis Brush. Mr Brush was an indentured servant who had obtained his freedom and came to Newtown to establish his life. 

The home has stood on this lot for almost 260 years and has undergone many changes. The current owners have paid careful attention to the historical detail and period designs in improvement they have made to the home in the seven years that they have owned it.

Newtown Country Mill, located on Route 302, will be in charge of decorating this home.

“It is the second time we have done so for the house tour,” said Linda Manna, owner of Newtown Country Mill. Using lots of fresh greens, candles, fresh fruits, potpourri, and garlands, she will be providing a simple look to match the era of the home, she said.

This home is sponsored by Connecticut Tree Doctor, Inc.

1 Schoolhouse Hill Road

The home of Meghan Rice is a charming example of the bungalow-style houses built during the first half of the 20th Century. Lovingly restored by Ms Rice, this home was built on a rubblestone foundation in 1901. Characteristic of the style, a shed dormer with paired three over one sash windows and exposed rafters are all visible on the home’s façade.

 This house is best known for its delightful and spacious front porch that extends the width of the house.

“We are looking to just enhance the very American, whimsical décor of the owners,” said decorator Dawn Leonardi of Truly Yours, Inc in Bethel. “Visitors will find a homey, holiday atmosphere,” she said.

Various lines of merchandise carried by Truly Yours will be featured throughout the house, such as Tea Forte, Heartwood Creek holiday statues, and 100 percent beeswax candles by Et al Designs.

“Meri Meri Card Co is donating holiday cards for house tour visitors to sign to soldiers serving overseas,” said Ms Leonardi, an adjunct to Ms Rice’s Soldier’s Tree, which will showcase photos and information about Newtown service people recently returned from or currently serving in the armed forces.

 A local artist, Barbara Sandmore, was recently commissioned to paint the wonderful murals on the risers of the steps leading up to the porch.

9 Tory Lane

Built in 1930, it is thought that this lovely Colonial home was built for Irving Jones when he sold his property to the state for the Fairfield Hills State Hospital. Mr Jones had been a farmer in his previous location at the Fairfield Hills Hospital site. He continued his gardening here on Tory Lane, growing vegetables and building impressive gardens on the grounds with many species of trees.  Subsequent owners have expanded the gardens over the years, making them the spectacular display they are today.

 Now owned by Jeffrey and Judith Norkin, this charming home sits atop a hill alongside the site of the Tory encampment of the American Revolution.

Architectural features of the home include an oversized stone fireplace, random width wood floors, leaded glass windows, and original light fixtures in the foyer and living room. The home exudes character representative of Newtown during the 1930s.

Brown Bear Design Studios out of Southbury is going for a “very natural look,” for 9 Tory Lane, said decorator Corinne Fabian. “We like to work with earthy products, so visitors will see things in the home that are nature inspired, like simply decorated Christmas trees, wooden reindeer, and fruit wreaths on the door,” said Ms Fabian. Her goal is to create a holiday look that will carry though the winter, she said.