SOUTH FORK The Annual Christmas Home Tour, now in its 12th year, will feature six beautifully decorated homes Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4 and 5.
Doors are open from 12 noon to 4 p.m each day.Tickets are available atSouth Fork locations including, HomeReflections, Mountain Lighthouse and Gallery, VisitorCenter, Beaver Mountain Quilts, and Chamber of Commerce Office. Advance tickets are$10, with tickets tour day being$12.In addition, tickets are available in Del Norte at Colorado Cowgirl and in Alamosa at Vintage Garage Antiques.
On tour days,booklets, as well as the purchase of tickets, may be picked up at Rio Grande Club, beginning at 11a.m.
Historic venue
Each year an historical venue is featured on the Christmas Tour and, this year,Beaver Creek Christian Camp andRetreat Center is the focus of years gone by.
The Rustic Lodge, built in the 1940s, will feature a roaring fire in the beautiful stone fireplace as well as a more than 40-piece Dept.56 New England Village.
The camp now features a newly built winterized lodge that is handcapped-accessible.
Homes on tour
Two homes inAlder Creek Meadows also are on the tour, Bill and TriciaStonaker, with Cathy Smith doing the Christmas decorating that features a combination of stylish and whimsical ornamentaton to satisfy all ages. Many items in the home, as well as the decorations, have been passed down for three generations.
TheRoquemorehome features a beautifully decorated front porch and tempts the visitor to investigate further for all the wonderful Christmas decorations on the inside.This home features views of Del Norte Peak from several vantage points.
In Hidden Springs Estate, the Wilburn home was a featured home on the first Christmas Home Tour, and was owned by the Thomases then. The Wilburns have turned the delightful Texana theme into a Colorado look, utilizing pine boughs, cones and all kinds of native looks, so this house looks like Christmas year-round.
James and Rhonda Gilberts home in LaLomita was just completed in 2010, so is the newest home on the tour. TheGilberts chose the lot in LaLomita because of the amazing views – the Sangre de Cristo range and Del Norte Peak.
A beautiful collection of hand-painted china, made by James grandmother, is a feature in one bedroom, while another houses memorabilla from James more than 30 years of football officiating.
River Club Townhomes is the site of a homeon the tour owned by the Paynes from Houston.This beautifully appointed condo is availableas a vacation rental and is decorated with a decidedly Colorado motif, with pine cones, boughs and many hints of nature.
Marketplace
In addition to touring homes, visitors may also select one-of-a-kind decor and gifts at the Marketplace on the Rio Grande at Rio Grande Club, held in conjunction with the Home Tour.Hoursare 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day and admission is free.
Proceeds from each event, sponsored by the Greater South Fork Community Foundation, are used for Community Beautification. A major project is the Bannerscape, surrounding the South Fork Visitor Center. In 2009 funds were given to the Carnegie Library, South Fork Branch, to fund the major portion of landscaping expenses; in 2010 funds were given to Rio Grande Clinic in South Fork for its landscaping projects. The Greater South Fork Community Foundation is an affiliate of Pikes Peak Community Foundation.