Six Silverthorne houses are on the map for Summit County’s third Holiday Mountain Home Tour, taking place Saturday, Dec. 14.
The tour affords participants a chance to get an inside look at local homes while simultaneously supporting two local nonprofit groups. The proceeds will go toward Timberline Adult Day Services and Mountain Meals on Wheels.
This is the third year of the home tour, which alternates every year between benefiting Timberline and Mountain Meals on Wheels and benefiting Domus Pacis Family Respite.
How it works
The tour also moves around the county, focusing on houses in a different town each year. Last year featured homes in Breckenridge, and the year before that was Frisco. Now, domiciles in Silverthorne will have their chance to shine.
Tickets to the tour will be available Saturday morning starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Elks Lodge in Silverthorne. The tickets come with a grab-and-go breakfast and a map showing the location and suggested driving route to each house.
Inside the houses, participants will be greeted by owners or a docent, who will be available to answer any questions and point out architectural and design features. Hot cider and other drinks will also be available.
Around lunchtime, participants can return to the Elks Lodge for a light lunch and the opportunity to peruse the Christmas tree silent auction.
More than a dozen trees, of sizes ranging up to 3½ feet tall, were decorated by local businesses and donated to the cause.
While some trees are decorated traditionally, others are decorated to represent the businesses. The tree from Alpine Bank, for example, is adorned with dollar bills. The trees are now on display at the Community and Senior Center in Frisco, and silent auction bidding has already begun. They will remain at the center until Friday afternoon, at which point they will be moved to the Elks Lodge in Silverthorne.
Those with a sweet tooth can satisfy their cravings by purchasing a box of homemade cookies, baked by volunteers.
“The silent auction was a smashing success, with people bidding against each other … right up until the end of the auction,” said Shelly Michell, event organizer and board member of Timberline Adult Day Services.
Michell said she hopes the event will draw at least 200 people, up from the 160 who participated in the past.
“We always hope it gets bigger, more popular,” she said.
Who benefits
Mountain Meals on Wheels is part of the Mountain Meals program, which provides nutritional meals for seniors. The wheels program delivers meals to homebound individuals of all ages.
“I think it’s super important to provide not only a meal, but a friendly face that does a welfare check on people who are really isolated and homebound in our community,” Michell said.
Timberline Adult Day Services provides care for adults with special needs. Attached to the Frisco Senior Center, Timberline offers a safe place where adults who are challenged mentally or physically can remain under supervision while their caretakers are busy or need a break.
“It’s not just elderly. It’s people with challenges and disabilities that tend to fall through the cracks with our social services, so it’s a wonderful program that helps both the participants and also their caregivers have a needed respite,” said Michell.
She added that Timberline’s motto, “where friends gather,” has proven itself true time and time again.
“Participants are of all ages. They do activities and they have field trips and they make crafts. It’s a great place,” she said. “The participants are really devoted to each other and they take care of each other. It’s really nice to see because it’s so multi-generational. They just get along and they form this core group of people that (are) really a family of their own.”
Courtesy of the Summit Daily News.
