HOUSE, GARDEN TOUR WILL BENEFIT CHURCH

How better to raise money for a church building project than to invite guests over for a look at recent renovations?

Maple United Methodist Church is sponsoring a home and garden tour of five homes in the city. The tour will benefit a church building project. The event is Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The church will be open for refreshments during that time as well.

Tickets for the self-guided tour are $10 per person and available at the church office from 1-5 p.m. Tickets also will be available during the day of the tour at each of the houses and the church.

Funds raised from the tour will benefit the church building fund for a new sanctuary and educational building.

The tour includes:

Maple United Methodist Church, 2441 Jean Ann

Before 1912, there was no Protestant church south of William Street. The first Methodist Church was built on land donated by Louis Houck. In 1916, as the town grew to the west, the church moved to the corner of Maple and South Ellis streets and became Maple Avenue United Methodist Church.

The church voted to move to a new location in 1993 and bought property from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The site at 2411 Jean Ann has been home to Maple United Methodist Church since then. Since the mid-1990s, the church has bought two homes behind the church for a parsonage and education building. An addition was built in 1998 for a nursery, library, offices and classrooms. It was the first phase of the church's building program.

Dr. Jim and Marge Main, 2214 Stony Point

The Main's home was designed by local architect, Tom Holshouser. The layout include a kitchen that opens into a family room, which is a favorite gathering place for friends and family. Built in 1997, the home is reminiscent of days gone by when people gathered on big front porches.

The home's many windows open to a wooded lot in the back. A unique rock landscaping is featured on the hillside where many perennials have been planted.

Wayne and Julie Davenport, 1621 Greenbrier Drive

This five-bedroom home was built in 1995 and has an all-brick exterior. Vaulted ceilings and large windows create an open feeling in the main floor. A screened porch and private patio are also part of the home's charm. The home is located on a half-acre landscaped lot.

Larry and Ruth Ellen Holdman, 2309 Perryville Road

The Holdmans are only the third owners of their home, which was built in 1932 on the Wilson Meyer farm. The house, complete with updated bathrooms and kitchens, has retained its original pine floors and built-in shelving. A deck and swimming pool in the backyard are the focal point for year-round entertaining.

Dale and Mary Spell, 371 Edgewood Drive

This home was designed for the Spells by architect John Boardman. A circular drive leads to the door of the 1 1/2 story cedar house that sits on a two-acre wooded lot.

Two angled wings draw attention to the center of the house. Inside, the foyer draws guests to a large, open are that serves as a great room. A series of windows and French doors line the back wall and lead to a deck. A multi-room family loft also features a skylight that looks down into the great room and kitchen. The home was built in 1987 and features 3,700 square-feet of living space.

Jerry and Terrie Welch, 400 Windwood Lake Drive

The Welches chose Windwood Lake subdivision as a setting for their new home, completed in 1998. The home is nestled among trees in the subdivision and offers plenty of space for wildlife to roam.

The entry leads to a living area with 11-foot ceilings and 7-foot windows across the back of the room. Much of the stenciling work throughout the house was done by Terrie Welch.

For more information about the tour, call Marge Main at 335-3368.