HOUSE TOUR AND DESSERT BUFFET BENEFIT TODAY

Six homes all spruced up for Christmas will be featured in the Lutheran Family and Children's Services eighth annual House Tour and Dessert Buffet today.

The tours will run from noon to 6 p.m. and will feature a crafts sale and dessert buffet. Tickets are $10 in advance and are available at Wanda's Coiffures, 1405 Thomas Drive, or Schnucks, or $12 at the door.

The John and Ellen Lorberg home, 395 Stonehaven Lane in Gordonville, sits on a 250-acre working farm and includes many intriguing features, including the mill house and demonstrations of an engine-powered circular saw and horse-powered hay bailer. The home was completed in 1991 and includes many antiques. A dessert buffet and crafts sale will be available at the home.

Bill and Marian Green's home, 2212 Crown Point, is an English country cottage based on plans from Southern Living. Faux finishes are used throughout the home, which was completed last January. Family antiques and artwork are displayed in every room of the home, and the kitchen features an extensive Santa Claus collection.

Randy and Trisha Stahly's gracious ranch-style home at 610 Highland Drive was built in 1944 and has been a "work in progress" ever since. A 1993 renovation made the house more inviting, and fireplaces located throughout the home add to its charm. The home features a variety of American antiques along with traditional Christmas decorations and a child's Christmas tree.

Bob and Gaye Blank's home, 430 Julie, features a unique brick sculpture of a pond and ducks in flight created by Jay Tschetter, whose works are also on display in the Gateway Arch Museum in St. Louis. Built in the French Country style, the home features curved walls and a balcony, and many antiques, including a church pew from the old Trinity Lutheran Church and a player piano. The home also showcases Eddie Bierschwal stained glass.

Ronald and Carole Randol's farmhouse, 959 State Highway Z in Gordonville, was built in 1905 and is a wonderful reminder of summertime evenings spent on gingerbread porches and family gatherings in big, comfortable rooms. After careful renovations, the woodwork in the home has been preserved, and the staircase in the large entrance hall is original. The home also features many family antiques.

Greg and Libby Tobin's home, 2320 Perryville Road, features colorful rooms and elegant furnishings. A hand-painted screen looks like library shelving in one corner of the great room, and all of the principal rooms overlook the large deck and the view of the wooded lot.