| 11/26/2009 11:00:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Tour of Homes planned for 'Christmas in LeRoy'
Saturday, Dec. 5 at three houses, Sweet's Hotel
A missing piece of last year's "Christmas in LeRoy" was the Tour of Homes, but this year it has been added into the schedule again and will provide the program with a full agenda on Saturday, Dec. 5. From early morning until after the Parade of Lights, there will be plenty to do at the LeRoy Community Center along with the Tour of Homes which will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the Tour will be offered all day at the Community Center for a $5 donation at the same time when information will be provided for those going on the tour. The benefit funds from the Tour will be used for supplies at the LeRoy Community Swim Pool and for the L-O Community Ed programs.
The Tour of Homes will be part of "Christmas in LeRoy" with the Cookie Walk and Craft Show starting at 9 a.m. followed by the Community Ed's Soup and Bread luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. when the Commercial Club's Christmas Drawing will be held. During the afternoon a program of music will be provided by the LeRoy Band followed by the Tour of Homes, then the Parade of Lights and a time afterwards for cider and cookies.
The four "homes" on the Tour include those of Mike and Elaine Mills, Jan and Norm Hanson, Norma Kling and the Sweet's Hotel.
Mills Home
The Mills' home is located a half mile directly south of LeRoy on the State Line Road with an address of 3426 Tenth Street, Riceville, Iowa. As Elaine puts it, "There have been many times over the years, and living with five kids, that I needed to be in two places at one time, now I can walk out my front door and physically stand in two places at once: Minnesota and Iowa!"
"After 10 years of debating whether to add on to our house in town or build, and how to finance it, Mike found this acreage just south of town," she said. "Since there would never be a good time to build, we took the plunge and bought the 30 acres in 1993. Five years later, in March of 1998, I designed the two-story house and we contracted with Morton Buildings to put up the shell (yes, it did look like a big barn at first!). They did the roof, windows, and siding. Then, 11 years later, after much blood, sweat, and tears (tears mostly mine) and the efforts of each member of the family, it is finally complete." And the Mills have graciously consented for the community to see the completed home.
Mike and Elaine have five children. Josh lives in Lime Springs and works for Miller Grain. Anni and her husband Tom and our grandson, Seamus, live in Prior Lake. Anni is a social worker and is employed by the Southern MN Initiative Foundation in Owatonna. Michelle and her husband, Adam, live in Stewartville and she recently became unemployed and Elaine, to her advantage, has been using Michelle's help. Kimberly lives and works in St. Paul and is a Communication & Development Specialist for Life Track. Their baby, Becca, is in her third year at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, majoring in Communications and Political Science.
Mike is self-employed as a diesel mechanic for the past 30 years and Elaine has been doing accounting work since high school. She is currently the manager of the LeRoy Community Pool and does books for five other businesses.
Elaine says she "loves Christmas, the trees and lights, and during the tour, you will find them in every room. The girls all come home the first Saturday of December to make the Christmas goodies and we always do the shopping the day after Thanksgiving. When it is our year to have everyone home for Christmas Eve, there is much talking, playing games and eating. Then we open gifts and go to Christmas Mass." It has become a family tradition.
The House Timeline reads like it could easily be made into a movie starting with March 1998 when the shell of the house was constructed. Then in May 1998, for Anni's graduation party, they served lunch in the master bedroom; September 1999, had to put carpet on stairs and self-adhesive floor squares in the kitchen, which they found cheaper than replacing socks! In March 2001, Michelle's senior year, the Mills sent the kids to Texas for spring break to visit with grandparents so Mike and Elaine could sheet rock and carpet their bedrooms, eliminating the need to use blankets as walls.
In April 2002, Kimberly's senior year, the Mills put up the garage and in 2003-2004 they did the walk-out from the lower level, basement bathroom and landscape around the house. In 2005, for Anni's wedding, they added the living room structure and in 2006 for Michelle's wedding, they laid the oak floor in the dining room and changed the carpeted stairs to oak.
The year 2007 was Becca's senior year and it was when the Mills carpeted and sheet rocked the living room, followed by the girth of their first grandchild, Seamus in 2008 when they laid the ceramic tile in the kitchen area. Then in 2009, the brick was laid across the front of the house, their last project.
"We still have the deck to put on and French doors in the dining room, but," Elaine says, "we have come a long way in 11 years!"
Hanson Home
Jan and Norm Hanson live in a one-story ranch house located at 210 E. Cabot Street which was built in 1978 by Claire and Elmer Schutz. The Hansons have been living there for the last four and a half years and they've renovated the house, inside and out, in that time frame, updating it for the Hansons to enjoy since they both are now retired. Besides redecorating, the couple also like to take trips, especially mystery trips when they don't know where they're headed for a fun time.
Jan says that when they bought the house in June of 2005, "we painted every wall in the house and replaced all the flooring throughout. Then we resided the house and added a deck with a roof to the back of the house." Later they added a half bathroom in the basement. Besides those big projects, Norm has made many oak shelves as well as picture frames to highlight family photos.
After they had moved into the house, they found 18 hand-stitched Grandma's Garden quilt hexagons in a cupboard, which set the couple to framing about a dozen of them for three various locations in the house. The treasured quilt pieces tied right into Jan's hobby of quilt making and Norm's wood working projects, as well as being a conversation starter each time anyone sees these creations.
When the Hansons were approached about having their home in the Tour, Jan's first reaction was that their daughter, Beth, who was born on Dec. 9, 1971, would have more than one decorated Christmas tree "at home" this year, rather than the one tree being put up ahead of the birth date as what Jan and Norm have done ever since Beth was born. "When Beth was young we always put her birthday presents under the tree and she opened them there," Jan said. "Now, Beth has continued the custom with her almost four-year-old daughter, Clare Jana, who was born on Dec. 26."
Each Christmas since their children were young, the Hansons have made lefse, sometimes with friends, sometimes with just family. Jan says, "We eat it with mashed potatoes and cod or halibut (never lutefisk)." Norm and Jan make kurmkage each year and sometimes peanut bars, rolled cookies, Kringla and Spritz cookies and sandbakkles.
"Since our children have married and have given us seven grandchildren, we celebrate Christmas on whatever day or days that everyone can be together, usually it's the weekend after Christmas," Jan explained about the family holiday.
As for special things to look for while touring the Hanson home, it's possible to see some of Jan's homemade quilts, and her collection of Dept. 56 Snowbabies, cookie cutters, and even a few Snow Village houses. They set up four regular-sized Christmas trees in the house plus a few miniature trees.
Jan has made a calico Christmas stocking for each of the 15 family members, each one with the owner's name, along with Christmas appliqués and buttons. These will be on display during the Tour.
Both Jan and Norm, and their children, are well known in LeRoy, Norm having retired from teaching science at LOHS after many, many years, and Jan having been a day-care provider for many years, until taking a job for 10 years as manager of a store department, until her retirement earlier this year.
Norma Kling's house is located at 324 East Lowell Street and she's been living there for the past 15 years, having bought the house from Gene and Rita Miller. Her yard has some used John Deere equipment which she saved from when she and her husband farmed north of LeRoy.
Norma explains: "I decorated some of the John Deere things. Also, my big tree is decorated with ornaments of my family and things they have given me through the years."
Those taking the tour will notice Norma's John Deere collection as well as some Denim Days things as well as a pig collection which she has displayed downstairs. She also has a few angels which she has collected.
As for Christmas traditions, Norma says she guesses "we really don't have any special traditions. Just that we get all together on Christmas night." She is one of the Dohlman family and they don't just get together for Christmas, they meet each week of the year to have coffee, something good to eat and find out the latest news about each other. That's a tradition which they all enjoy year round. And when it comes to making lefsa, rosettes and all those other good things, the girls of the family know how to bake Norwegian!
Norma says this about her home, "My house is pretty simple and homey!" And with that, she invites you to stop in and see her John Deere things. She's just a farm gal at heart!
Those touring the Sweet's Hotel on Saturday, Dec.5 for Christmas in LeRoy, will have the chance to see first hand how beautifully decorated the eight themed-rooms are, by visiting the one available suite called, "Grandma's Red Room." This room is located on the second floor, off the hallway which is used as a sitting room for the adjoining rooms. Lu Overocker, owner of the facility located in the largest building in LeRoy on the west end of Main Street, has all the other rooms booked, but graciously allowed the Community Ed to have the Sweets on the Tour of Homes. She is a great one to give tours of the hotel at a moment's notice, so was all too happy "to let people see what the Hotel has to offer." That's upstairs! She's ready also to take your order for food in the restaurant located on the first floor of the building which was remodeled, along with the hotel, into a handsome facility by Rick and Cheryl Lamon of Lanesboro.
The very first owners of Sweets was William Sweets in 1898. The Lamons bought the old building and refurbished it into a modern establishment from bottom to top. Overocker took over the business in February 2008. Lu says, "I lease the building from Rick, so I own the restaurant and bar. Rick and I have a 50/50 split on the Hotel."
Overocker is quick to say that she's looking forward to the Christmas parties which she's already booking for the restaurant, and she's always pleased to have hotel guests who are members of LeRoy families who have heard about the hotel as well as the restaurant from family and friends. Many reunions find their way to the local establishment and more will be coming over the holidays. Overocker says she loves decorating for Christmas and is looking forward "to the best time of the year." In case you want to celebrate the holidays or a special occasion, Lu says to "call 507-433-5750 before 12 noon, and after 3 p.m. call 507-324-9546." She's a busy lady but you might be able to catch her!
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