Residents in Old Lyme open their doors for charity
Holiday strollers can view the decorations in Old Lyme’s village center and peek inside homes decked out for the season during a tour of homes this Saturday to benefit the town’s children.
During the fourth “Homes for the Holidays House Tour of Old Lyme,” organized by the Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center, six homes and the Old Lyme Historical Society’s headquarters will open their doors to visitors.
The self-guided walking tour, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., will start at Town Hall at 52 Lyme Street, where local vendors will sell items from scarves to candles at a holiday boutique. Participants will receive a map pointing out the homes featured on the tour.
Alison Zanardi, the director of the Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center, said she hopes the tour will offer participants an opportunity to both learn about the center’s work in the community and enjoy visiting the homes.
“I hope they get a sense of what the center does in the community and get to see the beautifully decorated homes and architecture and a sense of what Old Lyme has to offer,” she said.
Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center, a nonprofit founded in 1987 and located on Lyme Street in the town’s village center, provides infant, toddler and preschool childcare, as well as school-aged programs at Center School.
The nonprofit, accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), serves about 100 families, from West Hartford to Stonington, Zanardi said.
Zanardi said the nonprofit doesn’t rely solely on tuition for its operating budget, so it holds fundraisers to cover expenses.
The house tour, organized by the center’s Board of Directors with participation from volunteers and past board members, is the center’s largest fundraiser and typically raises about $3,000 to $4,000 for the center, she said.
“It’s a nice way to spend the holidays with friends and support a local organization,” she said.
One of the residences, an 1844 house renowned for its sweeping gardens and later called “Cricket Lawn” by past owner J.P. Van Bergen, was recently restored to its original appearance, according to a description of the home tour. The house, originally built for Dr. Shubael Bartlett, was designed according to Andrew J. Downing’s 1842 design book on cottage residences.
A home with more than 100 sculptures on 4.5 acres; a 17th century house that may have been a stop on the Underground Railroad; an 1830 Greek Revival dwelling that a prominent sea captain once called home; and a house with vistas of the Lieutenant River, are among the other destination on the tour, according to the descriptions.
The Old Lyme Historical Society’s headquarters, located next door to the children’s center, will also be decorated for the holidays.
The Old Lyme Historical Society purchased the former Old Lyme Grange Hall on Lyme Street in 2014. The building is in the midst of a transformation into a center for the town’s archives and history.
Wheeler High School Concert Chorus, based in North Stonington, will sing at Old Lyme Town Hall from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets are available in advance for $25 at the Old Lyme Children’s Learning Center at 57 Lyme Street and the Chocolate Shell at 16 Lyme Street, or online.
Tickets are available on the day of the event for $30 at the ticket desk at Old Lyme Town Hall.
More information is available by calling (860) 434-1728 ext. 1, or visiting the Old Lyme Children's Learning Center website.
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