BARRACUDAS CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR IS TODAY

Hemmann home

Jackson's Barracudas Swim Team will host this year's Christmas Home Tour today (Dec. 3). The tour will feature four beautiful homes and one church.

Participants in the home tour will be invited to visit Christ Lutheran Church in Gordonville, and the homes of Mike and Sandy Hess at 2710 Palmer Drive, Kim and Howard Hemmann at 401 N. Missouri, Don and Sandy Cook at 2405 Brittany, and Margaret and Daniel Makins at 134 Autumn Ridge.

Christ Lutheran Church

Christ Lutheran Church was founded in 1898. Before that time, the people of Gordonville had worshipped at Zion Lutheran Church, two miles south of Gordonville. Because of poor road conditions at that time, the people of Gordonville wanted a closer house of worship. On Oct. 8, 1899, Christ Lutheran Church was dedicated to the glory of the Triune God.

The congregation grew, and, in the late 1950s, it was decided to build a new church. On Dec. 18,1960, the current house of worship was dedicated. In 1999, Christ Lutheran Church celebrated 100 years in Christ.

The church features stained glass windows given by different church families. The sanctuary holds 250 people, and showcases exposed beams in the vaulted ceiling. The church boasts a new Roers organ. Pat Palisch, church organist, says, "This congregation is its own little community." The community spirit that built this church is evident.

The church will be decorated in greenery and candles, poinsettias, and Chrismans in gold and ivory, and the trees will showcase new decorations purchased by the church youth group.

Christ Lutheran will present musical entertainment throughout the afternoon of the tour. Various vocal groups will present holiday offerings. Participants in the tour are invited to come and go as they please throughout the afternoon and to join the congregation for their choir's Christmas concert starting at 4 p.m. Homemade cookies and warm drinks will be provided in the parish hall next door to the church.

Tickets for the home tour are $6 at any location along the tour.

Hemmann home

You will be transported into another time when you enter the home of Kim and Howard Hemmann and their daughter, Ashley. This beautiful, historic, white frame house was built approximately 110 years ago. The Hemmanns moved into their home six years ago and have worked hard at remodeling and adding personal touches that make this a true "family" home.

The large porch across the front of the house invites visitors into the Victorian living room. This room is filled with homey touches and many antiques, all of which were either made by or owned by a family member.

For example, the curtain rods came out of Kim's great-grandfather's house, and she proudly displays her grandmother's lamp. The copper fireplace cover came with the house, and the Hemmanns have had it sandblasted and restored to its original beauty. Above the fireplace hangs a portrait of young Ashley painted by Kim's uncle. The room is graced with beautiful hardwood floors and a majestic staircase.

The family room is centered around a massive wall unit designed and built by Howard. The room is decorated around a balloon theme and features a gorgeous area rug and a portrait of Kim as a preschooler that was painted by her uncle.

Next to the family room is a library with built-in bookshelves and curio cabinets that are original to the house, as well as original French doors.

This is the only room in the house that has not yet been redone, It is currently decorated with family heirlooms such as Howard's great-great-grandmother's dress and Kim's great-grandmother's coat.

Nearer the back of the house is the dining room which is decorated in warm, Victorian charm. It features an exterior door with painted glass, an antique china dresser, and an antique cherry desk from Kim's great-grandfather. Many valuable family keepsakes are housed in this room.

Makins home

Margaret and Daniel Makins' home is a cream-colored frame with brick trim off of Highway C in Altenburg. The modern, two-story home is 2 years old.

When you enter through the etched doors with sidelights, you will find an entry way with oriental rug and vaulted ceiling open to the second story.

The formal dining room is decorated in country blue with custom windows and will be decorated with a formal Christmas setting.

The living room centers around an oak fireplace and lots of family photos. Large windows open onto a multi-level deck with pool, two ponds, and a beautiful country landscape.

The large kitchen has lots of oak cabinets and a big, beautiful island. It is decorated in mauve with a grape border and Berber carpet.

The master bedroom suite is done in burgundy and hunter green with medium oak wood work. The master bath boasts his and hers sinks and closets and a whirlpool tub.

There is a second bathroom at the end of the hall which is done in neutrals, mauve and greens.

A lovely staircase leads upstairs to two girls' bedrooms. One is done in a rose theme, and the other showcases French white furniture and country creams and blues.

The upstairs bathroom is done in lots of oak and showcases a shelving unit made by Daniel.

Margaret is a homemaker, and Daniel is a technician at Procter & Gamble.

Hess home

Mike and Sandy Hess' beautiful home in Bent Creek is barely a year old. The Hesses, who are long-time residents of Jackson, moved into their new home last Thanksgiving. The Hesses worked with the contractors to combine elements from several home plans into one for an architectural masterpiece which backs directly onto the green for the seventh hole of Bent Creek Golf Course.

Visitors enter the home into a formal living and dining area. The style is very open with lots of big windows that allow a lovely view of the golf course. The decor is one of neutral and muted earth tones featuring light and dark oak floors with cherry insets, extensive use of wrought iron, marble accents, and high vaulted ceilings. The sunken living room and the open dining area will be decorated formally in gold, silver, and white with a tree.

The large, centrally located kitchen and breakfast nook, also with a view of the green, are decorated in hunter green and silver.

Off of the kitchen is "Mike's room," a large, cozy, comfortable room outfitted with recliners and a large-screen TV and entertainment center.

Mike, an electrician at Procter & Gamble, is in the process of making their home a "smart home" and his talents are evident in his room. The massive entertainment center/wall unit was designed by Mike and built by Beussink Brothers Cabinets. Mike's room will be decorated with Christmas tree and other, less formal decorations.

The master bedroom suite open onto the concrete deck which overlooks the seventh hole. It is also done in neutral colors and accented with animal prints.

Two other bedrooms featuring neutrals and large walk-in closets complete the upper level of the Hess' home.

The lower level of the home highlights a large recreation room complete with pool table and entertainment center. This room open onto a lower level concrete deck, also overlooking the seventh hole. Just off of this room is the office nook. This area will be decorated with Christmas tree and toys.

A fourth bedroom is located downstairs.

Leimer and Wessel built the home, and Phyllis Seabaugh assisted with the interior decorating.

Landscaping around the Hess home is uniquely beautiful. They have incorporated large stones found during the building process into the final design. Two mini-gardens grace either side of the front entrance to the home. Roland Sanders assisted in the landscaping design.

Both Mike and Sandy work at Procter & Gamble. They have two grown daughters, one who lives in Cape and one who lives in St. Louis. Mike and Sandy and their daughters were long-time members of the Jackson Barracudas Swim Team.

Cook home

Don and Sandy Cook love their 4-year-old home at 2405 Brittany in Jackson's Annwood Estates. They found it on New Year Eve of 1995 when, instead of partying, they were out shopping for a new home. Their home was built by Michael Annis Construction, but Sandy has done all the interior decorating, and she and Don have done all the landscaping.

A beautifully landscaped garden lines the walkway to the welcoming front porch which is decorated with rattan furniture. The beveled-glass front door provides the visitor with a first peek into the cozy warmth of this home.

Upon entering, one finds the formal living room which is decorated in hunter green and burgundy. Here you will find a curio cabinet with Sandy's Denim Days Collection by Home Interiors. Her mother started her on this collection. The living room will showcase a Victorian Christmas tree with an angel theme.

The formal dining room centers around a beautiful china hutch and a lovely chandelier. Sandy has stenciled the walls in green and burgundy. There will be a tree in this room, also.

Off of the dining room, you will find the spacious kitchen and family dining area. This area is graced with large windows. These two rooms will be decorated with a Christmas village with snowmen and gingerbread men and with multiple trees.

The family room showcases "Don's tree." It has been filled with hunting and fishing items, complete with moose garland and lanterns. The room is very outdoorsy and is filled with lots of Sandy's crafts and painting.

Sandy's craft and decorating talents are obvious in the laundry, room and the bathroom, as well. Both are filled with things that Sandy has made, and the bathroom, which is decorated in a sea-shell theme and which Sandy has sponge painted, will be holiday-decorated in a snow man theme.

The beautiful, wide staircase that leads to the second story will be wrapped in garland.

The "kids bathroom" at the top of the stairs is hunter green and will be decorated with ivy and lots of candies.

Sandy has taken great delight in decorating her children's bedrooms. Her son's bedroom, which has been decorated around a fishing theme, will have a Christmas tree decorated around a hunting and fishing theme. Her daughter's room, which is decorated in Americana, will have lots of candies and a tree decorated with stars and stripes.

The master bedroom suite displays more of Sandy's decorating genius. She has sponge painted the bedroom in burgundy and the bathroom in sea foam green. The bedroom has vaulted ceilings, and the bathroom has a large Jacuzzi tub and a wall length vanity. The suite will have a tree decorated with gold and glass ornaments.

Don has added a multi-level with hot tub to the back of the house. The property is bordered by a patch of woods, and Don and Sandy often have deer visit their back yard.

Sandy is the accounts payable clerk with the Jackson Board of Education, and Don is a lines results leader at Procter & Gamble.