Dickens of A Christmas

Mark your calendar for the 10th Annual Visiting Nurses Foundation "Dickens of a Christmas" Holiday Home Tour on Saturday, December 12th, from 12 pm to 6 pm. Six lovely homes in Centralia's Historic Edison District will be featured on the tour. Christmas will sparkle among the antiques, decor, renovations and restorations of these gracious homes. A special treat this year will be the c. 1900 Queen Anne Stahl Home and later built Stahl Building as well as the c. 1908 Greek Revival Flewelling Home and accompanying Flewelling Building built in 1920. We are extremely excited this year as we have expanded our event to go throughout the weekend. We are again partnering with the Fox Theater who will host "The Magic Lantern" on Friday with two matinees for area children and an evening show for adults. Our traditional Dickens Home Tour will be held on Saturday. Then on Sunday, gather for a Victorian High Noon Tea at the Tea Cup. Around 1872, the Northern Pacific Railroad laid tracks from Vancouver, WA to Seattle. Centralia (then known as Centerville) was caught in a storm of expansion and development. Because the expansion took place in the late19th century, a good number of the houses were built of Victorian architecture. There are many fine examples of Colonial Revival, Gothic, Italianate, Mansard, Queen Anne, Stick, and Shingle styles in the Edison area. Last year, "This Old House" magazine named the Historic Edison District as one of the best places to own an old home in the United States. Guests are invited to gather at the tour's Holiday Headquarters in Centralia's 1912 Train Depot where they will enjoy refreshments and live Christmas music to warm the heart. Attendees will be able to ride on a wagon pulled by Gwen Marshal's draft horses, hop on the trolley sponsored by the City of Centralia or catch the van provided by Campbell Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep. Presale tickets for the Home Tour are $12 or are available the day of the event for $15. The Victorian High Noon Tea is $25 and must be purchased by December 10th. Ticket outlets are the Visiting Nurses Thrift Shop, HUBBUB, Santa Lucia Coffee, Heyman Whinery, The Bath Depot, Fruffels, Book N Brush, Lewis County Historical Museum, and all branches of Security State Bank. The day of the event, tickets will only be available at any of the tour homes or the Visiting Nurses Thrift Shop. This event is supported by the City of Centralia and Centralia Hotel/Motels. Proceeds help fund home health and hospice needs in our community. For further information, call Lynn Ford at 360-623-1560, or contact us at www.VisitingNursesFoundation.org.  Dress warmly and be ready for a fun and enchanting weekend as you step back in time at "Dickens of a Christmas" in Centralia.