Published: November 30, 2009 07:28 pm      

Homeowners prepare for annual tour

DANVILLE — Sixteen years ago, Kathleen Bayles began decorating for Christmas in a big way. Every year she has added more decorations, and this year she is ready to open her home at 1524 N. Walnut for the Danville Area Tour of Homes.

The event will be 2-6 p.m. Sunday and features four Danville homes decorated in holiday splendor. Sponsor is Dillman Eye Care Associates, and proceeds will benefit the American Diabetes Association.

It was Bayles’ 5-month-old grandson, Hayden, who inspired his grandmother to start decorating years ago.

“I wanted the house to look special for Hayden’s second Christmas,” she said. “We always went to my mother’s house at Christmas, so I never put up many decorations at home.”

Touring the Bayles home is like visiting a nostalgic year-round Christmas store, with holiday decor everywhere — hanging on the walls and doors, peeking around the corners, and tucked away in every nook and cranny.

Bayles has nearly filled up the first floor of her 1925 home, and next year she will begin decorating the upstairs. She has lived in this house only since 2005, so she had to move many boxes of holiday decor along with her.

Bayles’ favorite decoration is her first Christmas tree, which her mother purchased in 1967. She’s added nostalgic character ornaments every year since, including Mickey Mouse, Charlie Brown, Pocahontas, Wizard of Oz, and Little Red Riding Hood. “I don’t think I have one branch without an ornament,” she said.

Bayles purchases her decorations at after-Christmas sales and rummage sales, and also receives them as gifts.

Her three main holiday themes are Santa Claus, snowmen, and Nativity scenes. She has more than 100 Santas, including a line-up of plush ones on the staircase leading to her second level. There’s a life-sized St. Nick who’s coming down the chimney of her fireplace.

Bayles’ variety of whimsical snowmen includes some that are lighted, sparkly, tall, and stout. One lifelike snowman sits at the old upright piano, poised to play a holiday tune. Her most amazing snowman has a paper mache head and a white rabbit fur coat draped over a full-size dress form. A toy train chugs around the track under a huge tree decorated with snowmen.

The more you look around this home, the more you see.

There are more than 75 beautiful Nativity sets and tree ornaments in another part of the downstairs. Even her bathroom, which has a frog theme, embraces the holiday spirit with all the frogs wearing Santa hats.

Bayles started decorating for the house walk a week after Labor Day. She strung all 10 lighted trees by herself, and a friend helped her with some of the other decorations. There are between 800 and 900 twinkling lights on her large trees.

Because she works full time at Danville Metal Stamping, she had to use weekends and evenings to transform her home into a holiday fairyland.

Bayles said, “I hope that each person who visits my home will find something to bring a smile and a hearty laugh, and that they’ll remember the true meaning of Christmas.”

Chris Fitzsimmons, chair of the tour, said, “We have a nice mix or older and modern homes on display this year, and they are all decorated beautifully.”

Other houses on the tour include:

-- Jones family home at 1115 Sherman St.

The Jones family has called this century-old, four-bedroom brick house their home since 1959. Sue Jones always makes sure there are decorations in every room — for the dining room fixtures, the mantle and fireplace, tabletops, and the front and back doors.

Many renovation updates have maintained this house as a beautiful showplace. Visitors should especially note the cherry cabinetry in the upstairs bathroom, the large glass chandelier, and the many leaded and beveled glass windows downstairs.

Although the style of Christmas decorations has changed through the years, celebrating the true meaning of Christmas and welcoming family and friends has always been a motivation for the Jones family.

-- Bob and Terri Henry at 4112 Edgewater Place.

The Henry home, which is located alongside the only pond in the Devonshire subdivision, was custom-built in 1999. After the house was completed, Bob added 70 feet of retaining walls and a brick walkway that leads from the house to the pond.

For the holidays, the Henrys decorate an upper ledge that surrounds the formal dining room and opens to the great room. Bob has collected Anna Lee ornaments and statues for more than 30 years, and they adorn the kitchen and other areas of the house. The main Christmas tree in the formal dining room has a red and gold theme, and they also have “his” and “her” trees.

Terri has decorated an upside-down tree for more than 20 years, which now hangs from the ceiling in their sitting room. Bob has a tree filled with special ornaments bought on their international trips, as well as a collection of Harley Davidson ornaments. The outside of the Henry home also is all dressed up for the holidays.

-- Bryan and Jessica Sampson (Yorkshire Bed and Breakfast) at 1664 N. Vermilion.

In 2004, the Sampsons answered an ad in “This Old House” magazine, which resulted in their move from a newly renovated home in Baltimore to a rundown house in Danville. There were so many repairs to make that many others who came to look at it walked away. But the Sampsons saw all the potential in the yellow stucco structure, located at the corner of Swisher and Vermil-ion.

The couple has continued the renovations on their home for more than five years They patched and painted, revealed the beautiful hardwood floors, and located the missing doors that were hidden in the attic. They updated the lighting and repaired leaks in the roof, walls and windows. And in January 2008, the Sampsons opened their treasured home as the Yorkshire Bed and Breakfast, so guests could enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Since she was a young girl Jessica, has dreamed of living in a large house that she could decorate for the holidays. Bryan is the son of a contractor, so he always had the skills to make their living quarters a comfortable place for them and their children to enjoy. After finishing a six-year remodeling of their home in Baltimore, the Sampsons were ready to take on the challenge of the old house on Vermilion Street. During this Christmas season they have halted their renovations so they can show off their bed and breakfast to the public.

IF YOU GO

Tickets cost $10 per person and are available at Berry’s Garden Center, Blooms and Bows Florist, Charlotte’s, Chittick Family Eye Care, Creative Designs, Dave’s Flower Garden, Dena’s Hallmark, Dillman Eye Care Associates, First Midwest Bank, Schick’s, and Waldenbooks. Tickets also will be available at each home the day of the tour.

Proceeds from this event will benefit the 23.6 million Americans with diabetes. About 5,000 people with diabetes live in Vermilion County. For further information or to make a donation, contact Chris Fitzsimmons at 497-1037.