Preservation of Historic Winchester

As we near the last hours before the 39th annual Holiday House Tour kicks off, here are a couple things to keep in mind:

If you have questions, the best place to find someone well-versed on the House Tour Saturday and Sunday is the Bough and Dough Shop at the Winchester Little Theatre, 315 W. Boscawen St. The Shop is open Saturday 9 am-5 pm and on Sunday 11am-5 pm.

The normal PHW phone number (540-667-3577) will not be staffed during tour hours so as not to interrupt house tours.

The hours for the house tours are Saturday (Preview Party and Candlelight Tour), 6-9 pm, and Sunday (Daylight Tour) from 1-5 pm. The Preview Party house (703 S. Stewart) will be open only on Saturday evening.

There will be complimentary warm drinks at the Bough and Dough Shop as in previous years.

The costumed carolers are expected to perform on Sunday 1:30-3:30 pm (weather permitting). They will start and end at the Winchester Little Theatre, and travel to the houses open on the tour.

The weather is forecast as sunny and highs in the 50s for both days, with temperatures falling to the 30s at night.

Have a safe and happy Holiday House Tour, everyone!

The Winchester Star ran the preview article written by Stephen Nielsen and photographed by Ginger Perry for the Holiday House Tour today:

For the 39th year, Preservation of Historic Winchester is providing a unique look into the historic homes of the downtown area at its Holiday House Tours.

“This might be one of our best tours,” said Sandra Bosley, executive director of Preservation of Historic Winchester (PHW).

Candlelight house tours will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, and daylight tours will run from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. On Saturday, in addition to the tours, there will be a preview party at 703 S. Stewart St. The five tour locations are 608 S. Stewart St., 226 Amherst St., 530 Amherst St., 220 W. Boscawen St. and 24 S. Washington St.

The weekend will also feature the Bough and Dough Shop selling handmade crafts, holiday decorations and greenery at the Winchester Little Theatre at 315 W. Boscawen St. The shop will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

. . . The home of David Look and Terry Frye, a Queen Anne style building built in 1888 by businessman Alexander Baker at 24 S. Washington St., is expected to be one of the biggest draws this year.

“It has been painstakingly restored,” Bosley said. “It is probably the most restored house in Winchester.”

The house was purchased in 1983 by Hal and Betty Demuth, who restored it to a single family residence with Victorian furniture and ornamentation. The current owners moved there in 2014 and still have some of the Demuth collection of Victorian furnishings.

After visiting the Holiday House Tour locations, participants are encouraged to have a look at the Bough and Dough Shop for their own holiday decorations. The shop will feature handcrafted items like pottery, soaps, watercolor prints, woodwork and scarves.

. . . Like last year, the proceeds from the shop will be donated to the Winchester Little Theatre’s renovation campaign for the replacement of the roof and other projects.

Read the full story online (login required).

Holiday House Tour Tickets are on sale now at the following Winchester locations:

• The Final Yard, 33 East Gerrard Street
• Kimberly’s, 135 North Braddock Street
• Wilkins’ Shoe Center, 7 South Loudoun Street
• Winchester Book Gallery, 185 North Loudoun Street
• Winchester-Frederick County Visitors Center, 1400 South Pleasant Valley Road

Tickets are also available at the Bough and Dough Shop on December 5 and 6.

You may still purchase House Tour Tickets through www.phwi.org or through the PayPal buttons below. Tickets purchased online will not be mailed after Thursday, Dec. 3 – you may bring your PayPal receipt with you as proof of purchase to pick up tickets at the Tour.

Outside on the deck of the Winchester Little Theatre awaits a bounty of freshly-cut greenery for your holiday decorating. Buy greenery in bulk by the bag at the Bough & Dough Shop this weekend, including pine, juniper, magnolia, spruce, nandina, holly, and boxwood, or buy handmade decorated wreaths, arrangements, and bows for your decorating needs. Special thanks are due to Nancy Murphy and Nate Windle for organizing and crafting the greenery and decor items for the Shop.

Steve and Abi Callahan

Jack Knuckle Gourmet, Winchester’s first gourmet food truck, was opened in 2014 by dynamic husband and wife team Steve Callahan and Abigail Gomez. Steve has been a chef in the industry for over 20 years, and was thrilled to be involved in bringing the exciting food truck culture to the area!

JKG specializes in delicious gourmet sandwiches, but along with street-side vending, they also offer on-site and in-home catering, with exquisitely prepared menus and mouth-watering creations from the skilled hands of the chef.

Whether you stop by the truck in Old Town Winchester, or have JKG cater your event, you are guaranteed to try something new and love every last bite.

Visit Jack Knuckle Gourmet at www.jackknucklegourmet.com and on Facebook.

Menu for Dec. 5 & 6.

Loudoun Valley Herbs

Kim Labash, owner of Loudoun Valley Herbs, has resided in Western Loudoun County for almost 30 years.

Kim grows an extensive collection of herbs and plants on her property with a leaning toward lavender and rose that she incorporates into her crafts and culinary products. No chemicals are used on her plants and all harvesting, drying and processing is handled by her personally. Furthermore, wherever possible all natural fabrics are used in the making of her products.

Kim is always striving to keep her products current.

Kim has demonstrated both soap making and lavender weaving to the public at the US National Arboretum in Washington D.C. and to groups at various local locations, including, but not limited to, the Carver Center and Field of Flowers both in Purcellville, the Middleburg Farmers Market, the Berryville Farmers Market; and the Bluemont Community Center in Bluemont, Virginia.

Kim is the current Chair of the Juried Craft for the Bluemont Fair and coordinates the Bluemont Holiday Craft Show with the Bluemont Community Center Staff.

Becky McGraw

As a young girl, Becky’s passion for baking began in the kitchen helping her family bake Christmas cookies. For the past 6 years, she has been the owner of Beckaboo’s Cakes, specializing in custom cakes, cupcakes, cake pops and cookies for a variety of special occasions.

Beckaboo’s Cakes is passionate about combining sugar and art. We strive to provide our customers with a unique dessert which is not only beautiful, but tastes amazing as well.

We are located in Winchester, Virginia and serve the Shenandoah Valley, Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and Northern Virginia.

The selection at the Bough and Dough Shop will include chocolate peppermint or gingerbread cake rolls, gourmet holiday cookies, whipped buttercream cupcakes, holiday cake pops and truffles, candied nuts, and more.

Visit Beckaboo’s Cakes online at www.beckabooscakes.com or Facebook.

John & Wendy R. Venskoske

J & W Farm started four years ago by John and Wendy R. Venskoske, Jr. with the idea of adding value to local agricultural products. For Christmas that year, we made these birdseed wreaths to give to family members, friends, and wife’s co-workers. They were so much appreciated that we decided to offer it to our current retail outlets that we were selling our food products to. They have been a hit and steadily growing. We use a special blend of birdseed from two local feed stores and custom make them with seasonal ribbon and/or special requests. For Valentine’s Day, we offer a Heart shaped wreath. Our Holiday Birdseed Wreaths are packaged for gift giving and shipping!

Visit J & W Farm online at www.jandwfarm.com and Facebook.