Saturday, November 29, 2003

By Kevin Kirkland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Inn at Martin Farms, a Victorian bed-and-breakfast in South Strabane, Washington County, will be decorated and open for tours Sunday. The mini-tour will run from noon to 4 p.m. at the inn, 1989 E. Beau St. A $5 admission donation benefits the Peters Creek Historical Society. Information: 724-229-0929.

Four Upper St. Clair homes will be featured Wednesday on the Howard Hanna Holiday Homes Tour. The homes will be open from 9:30 a.m. to noon, and lunch from Armstrong's restaurant will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Howard Hanna office, 180 Fort Couch Road. Tickets are $20 for tour and lunch, $5 for lunch alone. Proceeds benefit Children's Hospital. Reservations: 412-833-3600.

There are still a few tickets left for the 11th annual Christmas Home Tour sponsored by the Zelienople Historical Society. At least eight homes will be featured on the tour, which begins at 9 a.m. next Saturday at Park United Presbyterian Church, Grandview Avenue and Main Street. Tickets, $25, are available at Passavant House, 243 S. Main St. Information: 724-452-9457.

The Butler Symphony Holiday House Tour on Dec. 7 will open up living spaces of many ages and styles, including four homes, a country bed-and-breakfast, a conservancy, and a condominium model. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 on tour day. Advance tickets are available at the symphony office, 259 S. Main St., and local businesses. Information: 724-283-1402.

From noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 7, five beautifully decorated homes in Peters will be on display to benefit Watchful Shepherd, a child/family abuse prevention program. Tour tickets, available at local shops, are $20 in advance, $25 on tour day. Information: 724-941-3339.

Six renovated homes in Edgewood will be featured Dec. 7 in a Holiday House Tour to benefit C.C. Mellor Memorial Library. The tour will run from noon to 4 p.m. Tickets, $15, are available at the library, 1 Pennwood Ave., and at two East Swissvale Avenue shops, Typhoon and Le Mix. Information: 412-731-0909.

The Brentwood Holiday House Tour, which will run from noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 7, will highlight five homes and a church, all decorated in Christmas finery, to benefit Brentwood Library. Tickets are $10 in advance at the library, 3501 Brownsville Road, $12 on the day of the tour at the homes. Information: 412-882-5694.

Six Beaver County families with varied Christmas traditions will open their homes from 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 7 for SS Peter and Paul's 17th annual Christmas Candlelight House Tour. Refreshments, a live Nativity and silent auction will also be held at the school's activities building, 370 East End Ave., Beaver. Tickets are $10 in advance at the school and local stores, $12 the night of the tour. Information: 724-775-0480.

Six Mt. Lebanon homes will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dec. 10 for a Holiday House Tour and Luncheon by Howard Hanna Real Estate Services.

A lunch provided by Max and Erma's restaurant will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Howard Hanna office, 607 Washington Road. Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 the day of the tour and are available at the office or area shops. Proceeds benefit Children's Hospital Free Care Fund. Information: 412-561-7400.

The area's biggest and oldest holiday tour, the Old Allegheny Victorian Christmas House Tour, will be held Dec. 12-14 on the North Side. Seven restored Victorian homes and historic Calvary United Methodist Church will be open for guided tours from 5:24 to 7:12 p.m. Dec. 12, noon to 7:12 p.m. Dec. 13 and 12:24 to 6 p.m. Dec. 14. Tours leave every 12 minutes from the church, Allegheny and Beech avenues. Tickets are $20, $5 more for a sleigh ride.

All eight stops plus the restored home of caterer Linda Iannotta will be featured on the candlelight dinner tours Dec. 12 and 13. Dinner tickets are $70. Reservations, information: 412-323-8884.

The Mount Pleasant Area Historical Society will host its Second Annual Holiday Homes Tour from 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 13 and noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 14. Tour stops include six homes and a church, with refreshments at the Warden House.

Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 on tour days and can be purchased at the society office at the In-Town Shops on Main Street. Or send a check and self-addressed, stamped envelope to: MPAHS, P.O. Box 263, Mount Pleasant 15666. Information: 724-547-9115.

Seven homes and tour churches will be open from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Dec. 20 for the Dickens Christmas Walking Tour in Munhall. The guided tour begins at Carnegie Library of Homestead, 510 10th Ave. Tickets, $15, are available at the library or by calling 412-461-4904.

Museum events

Two 18th-century house museums in Washington, Pa., will be decorated in period style and open for tours. The LeMoyne (49 E. Maiden St.) and Bradford (175 S. Main St.) houses will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 5-7 and 13-14. The tours may be taken the same evening or on separate nights. Adults can take both tours for $8. Admission to just one house is $5. Students can tour both houses for $4 or $3 for one house. Information: 724-225-6740.

The Old Economy Village annual Christmas dinner tour fund-raiser will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. next Saturday at the Old Economy complex in Ambridge. The evening will include a tour of the holiday-decked Rapp House, home of George Rapp, the Harmony Society's founder. Hors d'oeuvres will be served in the village granary, followed by a buffet dinner in the Feast Hall. Dinner reservations are required. Tickets are $60 for Harmonie Associates members and $65 for nonmembers. Reservations: 724-266-1803.

Oliver Miller Homestead, an 18th-century house-museum in South Park, will celebrate a Scots-Irish Pioneer Christmas from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 7 and frontier-style decorating Dec. 14. Admission donation: $1. Information: 412-835-1554.

See Clayton, the Frick family's Victorian home, decorated in period style for Christmas. The restored house museum is part of the Frick Art & Historical Center, 7227 Reynolds St., Point Breeze.

Guided tours are offered 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Cost: $10 for nonmember adults, $8 for seniors and students, free for members. Information: 412-371-0600 or www.frickart.org.

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