YWCA Holiday Home Tour

YWCA lists more home tour sites

Van Wert independent/contributor content

The YWCA is gearing up for its 2010 Holiday Home Tour.  This year the tour will feature five homes and three businesses. Enjoy visiting decorated homes throughout Van Wert County with the YWCA on Friday, December 3, from 6-9 p.m., and Saturday, December 4, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at the YWCA for $15 per person. This year’s participants include:

Marsh Foundation Clymer Hall/Greenhouse

Clymer Hall was built in 1923 by local contractors and is part of the Marsh Foundation.  The exterior encompasses a European style.  This 11,760 square foot hall houses eight bathrooms and 13 bedrooms.  Although the exterior shows the history of the building, the interior is modern and new.

Clymer Hall was completely renovated in 2009. When the home was finished and redecorated, emphasis was put on the youth that The Marsh Foundation serves. Although Clymer Hall is a temporary home for the girls who stay here, every effort is made to make them feel at home and part of a family.

Special features of this large three-story hall include hardwood floors a wooden staircase. During the holiday season the main area fills as the girls gather.  There is a large 14-person dining room table in the hall. This is where the girls gather to eat their dinners, do homework and play games. It truly is the heart of our home.

The theme this holiday season in Clymer Hall varies throughout the building. The traditional rooms, the living and family rooms are decorated in a customary manor. The specialized rooms have their own themes. For example, the kitchen embraces a gingerbread theme and the salon is decorated with the theme of “girls just wanna have fun” in honor of the girly girls who live there.

Those who tour the hall this holiday season will be greeted by the girls that call Clymer Hall home, who will be serving homemade and hand-decorated gingerbread cookies during the tour.

Jeremy and Kim Ebel, 731 N. Washington St.

The Ebel home is a traditional two-story single family home. The house is 1,536 square feet and features 1½ baths and three bedrooms.

The home has a very comfortable feel. There is not a specific style to the home.   The family decorates and furnishes with things that are pleasing to the eye and most importantly kid friendly. Many of their home furnishings are family heirlooms.  The enjoy earth tones and have a continuous color scheme throughout the main living area.  The kid’s rooms are fun and reflect their personality and interests.  When decorating their home, they like to find a piece of furniture, rug or wall hanging that they use as palate and pull other pieces in to accent it. They make sure that the colors and style flow from room to room.

The Ebel home features an open stairway in the foyer, original woodwork throughout and 9 ½ foot ceilings on the main floor.

The living room is where all the Christmas action takes place. They have a beautifully decorated 9 foot tree and a fireplace. This is where Santa enters the house and leaves the children’s gifts. The Christmas theme this year is family. The Ebel’s like their home to be inviting, comfortable and fun for our kids. There are two trees featured in the home, a 9 foot and 7 foot tree. Each of the Ebel children have their own trees decorated to their tastes (with mom’s approval).  They also have a memory tree with ornaments given to them when the children were born and some the children have made along the way. While visiting this home you will take in the Christmas smells, like pine and cinnamon, when you enter the house. Christmas is all about the kids and the Ebels try to decorate in a manner that is classic, but still fun enough for my kids to love.

The most special Christmas feature of the house is not the prettiest or most elaborate decoration, but it holds the most sentimental value, the Snowman tree. Every year, each family member picks out a new snowman to add.  It is a big deal to the kids and the family is glad that we have made it a tradition. When they decorate the tree the kids get to put their special ornaments on and try to remember how old they were when they bought it.

Ian and Lisette Kitson, 14132 Middle Point Road

The Kitson home was built in 1956 and is a clapboard-sided home with stone facing on half of the front.  The house itself was built by Cliff Bell. The home is 1,344 square feet and sits on a half-acre lot. There are three bedrooms and 1½ baths. Bell was a carpenter and his love of different woods is shown throughout the Kitson home.  It can be seen n the main living room, the kitchen and throughout the home through the handmade cabinetry and built-ins.

The home is an eclectic mix of styles. Each room has a theme that coincides with the next. The Kitsons’ inspiration for decorating comes usually from one piece and they work from there, whether it be a painting or an ornament or a decoration.

The family’s favorite room is their living room, which is also home to their main holiday tree.  Although this room is their favorite, each room has something special or unique in it.

There is also a different theme in each part of the house, but they all do carry one connecting factor – the family’s love for reindeer. Each room and each tree has reindeer incorporated in one way or anther.

The main thing that the family would like you to keep in mind as you tour their home is that this is their first home they have owned and wanted to show people that even in a smaller home you can do Christmas on a grand scale!

Niswonger Performing Arts Center, 10700 Ohio 118 South

Construction began in 2005 for Niswonger Performing Arts Center.  The center was opened to the public officially on March 16, 2007.

The exterior of the building is a brick exterior with a slate roof. The design incorporates aspects from several historical buildings of Van Wert such as the former Lincoln Junior High School, Marsh Foundation buildings, and the Brumback Library. The main contractor was Peterson Construction of Wapakoneta and the architect was The Buehrer Group of Maumee, with assistance from Scott Niswonger’s personal architect, John Fisher.

The center incorporates many different parts unique pieces. The Music Hall has 8,278 sq. ft.  The stage is 3,722 square feet.  The Lecture Hall covers 4,118 sq. ft.  The Grand Lobby is 3,200 sq. ft. and the Upper Lobby covers 1,660 sq. ft.  The bay window is 33’ 4” tall.  The fly loft on the stage is 59’ high.

As you enter the center you will notice the inside walls are covered with anigre wood which hails from the Conga Africa.  One tree provided the veneer for the entire building.  The floors of the lobbies are made from granite imported from India.  There was 105,000 lbs. of granite was used.

The Van Wert Area Performing Arts Foundation has a Visual Arts Committee which helps decorate the NPAC throughout the year, including this holiday season.  The center will be featuring a large Christmas tree in the Grand Lobby that came from Archbold.  The halls will also be decked with greenery and plants from Fettig’s Flowers and Derry Drugs of Van Wert.

Niswonger Performing Arts Center is offering a unique opportunity to the public on this year Holiday Home Tour.  The tour of the center actually will include a tour of the backstage and lounge areas also!

Other participants will be featured in following article including:

• Sandra Dougal, 402 W. Main St.
• Mike and Kelly Keysor, 13767 Jennings Road
• Ryan and Amy Schroeder, 8482 Hoaglin Center Road
• Sisters Bridal Boutique, 101 W. Main St.

Get tickets today! General operating hours are Monday-Thursday, 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m.; Friday, 6:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Saturday, 7:30-11:30 a.m. Closed Sunday.

The YWCA is a United Way and Van Wert County Foundation funded agency.

For more information contact Executive Director Stacy Looser at 419.238.6639 or visit the YW’s website at www.vanwertywca.com.