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By Ayanna Eckblad

LAKE MILLS — The Lake Mills Historical Society gathered at the 1901 Victorian House & Gardens on Monday to prepare for their ninth annual Christmas Tour of Homes, a fundraiser in which people buy tickets that allow them to visit participating historical homes that will be decked out for Christmas.

The event’s headquarters is the 1901 Victorian House and Gardens in Lake Mills.

Over the course of the evening, people can come to the house for Victorian bread pudding, Christmas goodies, cider and hot coffee.

Lake Mills Historical Society President Dawn Bodenham is excited to continue the tradition this season.

One thing that makes this year’s fundraiser stand out is the number of houses participating.

“We have more houses than we’ve ever had, so we have six,” Bodenham said.

Each house has its own unique features. One of the houses even has a tiny house that people can book on VRBO and stay at throughout the year.

Planning this event typically begins with finding house owners who are willing to let their homes be on display. According to Bodenham, they usually look for “houses that maybe people haven’t seen or somebody who’s done a renovation, and we get to see an updated sort of version of the older house.”

The event has brought people together since its beginning in 2013.

“People get excited about Christmas and excited about seeing each other and it’s a total win to be able to go see other people’s decorating styles. It’s just so much fun,” Bodenham said.

The event was met with great success last year as 124 people attended and walked through the participating houses. They even ran out of bread pudding.

JoAnne Helland, another Historical Society member, said, “People come for the bread pudding.” The other women heartily agreed.

The Lake Mills community is proud of the 1901 Victorian House and Garden as it has been in the town for over a century and has hosted many important events, such as weddings, baby showers and the Historical Society’s July wine tasting fundraiser.

“Everybody in the community was behind getting out and doing something again,” Bodenham said. “Afterwards, [participants] can go uptown and enjoy some of our businesses.”

She suggested that people check out 5 Alarm Brewing Co., Tim’s Corner and Teluwut Grille House & Pub, all of which will be festive and ready for an evening of fun.

This year’s Christmas Tour of Homes will take place from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Dec. 8. Tickets are $20 and available at any of the houses on the tour, allowing participants to begin and end at any house that they want to.

The fundraiser marks the unofficial kickoff to the Lake Mills holiday festivities beginning Dec. 9.

The Lake Mills Historical Society is also accepting donations as it begins work on maintaining the Victorian House’s exterior.

 

Participating houses
Ryan and Kelli Helgeson
46397 230th Ave.

Keith Johnson
105 Maple Court

Doug and Donica Arneson
102 Maple Court

1916 House – Natalie Brown
302 E. Main St.

Kimberly Mann
24678 Lakeside Dr. (Rice Lake Golf Course area)

1901 Victorian House
308 S. Lincoln St.