Child & Family's 10th biennial Holiday House Tour takes place on Saturday, Dec. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour will feature seven beautiful, historic village homes that date from the 18th- and 19th centuries. Essex Historical Society's Pratt House and Hill's Academy and the Connecticut River

Museum will also be included. All the homes on the tour will be on or close to West Avenue and Main Street for easy access, as well as for the enjoyment of village shopping and dining. Enticing

boutique wares, table top trees, silent auction items, and refreshments will also be available at the Town Hall.

Tickets will be available at $25 each in advance from Stonewear and the Peddler (Essex), Gather (Ivoryton), Saybrook Country Barn and Thurstons (Old Saybrook), The Bowerbird (Old Lyme), Celebrations (Deep

River), Ceramica (Chester), and Walter Loden and Homeward Bound in Madison. The day of the tour, tickets will be sold for $30 at the Essex Town Hall. Tickets orders received after Monday, Dec. 7 will be held there. When ordering by mail, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope and send checks to: Child & Family Agency, Holiday House Tour, 168 River Road, Essex, CT. 06426.

Tour-goers are also invited to shop at the Essex Holiday Boutique at the Town Hall from

9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; admission is free. The boutique will feature unique gift items: beautiful cashmere ruffle scarves, hand-embroidered silk jackets, handcrafted needlepoint belts with

every theme imaginable, table top accessories, fine linens,

hostess gifts, and unique jewelry.

For more information, visit www.childandfamily.com or call 860-443-2896, ext. 901.

This is the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Child &

Family Agency. Tracing its history back to 1809, the agency's mission is to help children at risk in the context of their families. Programs deal with child-abuse prevention, the treatment of family violence, teen-pregnancy prevention, children's health care, childcare, parent education, and children's mental health issues. Last year more than 13,000 children were served in 67 towns in Middlesex and New London counties at 26 Child & Family Agency offices. Out of every dollar donated, 91 cents benefits the children.