By AMY GRONAUER NDN Staff WriterComments (…)
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The annual Newton Dollars for Scholars Tour of Homes, set for Saturday, Dec. 4, has been raising money to benefit Newton Senior High School seniors since the local chapter was chartered in 1985. Newton’s chapter is also affiliated with the Citizen’s Scholarship Foundation of America.

“Dollars for Scholars encourages seniors to take the next step, and that’s what we try to do is to provide a scholarship toward their two-, four-year or vocational experience through endowments and fundraisers like this,” said Jan Sullivan, a realtor with Doyle and DeVoe.

The number of scholarships awarded to graduating seniors from NHS is based on the number of applicants for that year. In 2009, 117 scholarships were awarded totaling $66,250. In 2010, Newton Dollars for Scholars provided 114 scholarships, with a total sum of considerably more than the previous year — $72,500.

The Tour of Homes is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4. Tickets are $10 per person, and are available now at all Newton financial institutions, the Newton Chamber of Commerce, through Dollars for Scholars trustees and at each home the day of the tour.

The homes on this year’s tour include:

• La Corsette Maison, 629 First Ave. E.

The mansion, which was built in 1909 and serves as a bed and breakfast, is currently owned by John and Annie Gerken. The stucco and tile structure is built in the style of a Spanish mission and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It boasts three wood-burning fireplaces, stained glass French doors and has a total of 20 rooms.

• Shay’s Tea Room in the Hunter Mansion, 223 W. Fourth St. S.

Charles Hunter, who also owned a furniture store in the late 1800s, remains the most famous owner of Hunter Mansion. As it stands today, the mansion serves as a renovated Victorian-themed tea room owned by Nancy Egnozzi and Robert Sawyer. Solid oak woodwork, along with beamed ceilings and leaded glass windows, give this establishment an old-world charm.

• The home of Mike and Sue Beukema, 5333 E. Highway 6.

The Beukema’s home was constructed entirely by the Newton Senior High School Building Trades Program Class of 2007. A vaulted ceiling encompasses the living room, and large windows look out to the front entry and newly constructed waterfall and fish pond. The house is located on a farm just east of Newton, which has been in the Beukema family since 1947.

• The home of Wes and Erika Dethrow, 914 S. 29th Ave. E.

The Dethrow’s home was built in the spring of 2004, and is a traditional two-story home that sits on 2.5 acres just south of town. It features a finished basement the Dethrows refer to as the “man cave,” 10-foot ceilings and a warm, Autumn-inspired color palette throughout the house.

• The home of Dan and Margaret Ellis, 1005 S. 29th Ave. E.

The most recently built building on the tour, the Ellis’ home is a sprawling Craftsman style ranch built in 2009. The three-car garage houses a 1957 Chevy and a Ford Thunderbird. The interior features an oversized island and Trevino (broken shells) countertops throughout the kitchen, reminding the lady of the house of her roots in Texas. Four outdoor areas complement the family’s joy of entertaining with a Hawkeyes-themed screened in porch, a cedar deck, concrete patio and front porch.

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