FORT THOMAS, Ky. – The chilly autumn temperatures didn’t stop the 2nd Annual Tour of Homes this year. And it didn’t stop tour-goers either.
What started off as a cold October day, ended up being a heart-warming fundraiser.
The Charities Guild of Northern Kentucky raised money Saturday for the Northern Kentucky Children’s Advocacy Center, which provides services to children who have been physically or sexually abused or have witnessed violent crimes, and for the CGNK’s shoe fund which provides new shoes for underprivileged children.
From tickets to flowers, the Guild said that the event was another success.
"Everything is going really well," said Christa Gillen, Guild member and tour coordinator, during the tour Saturday. "The mums are selling like hot cakes."
In fact, Gillen said that they sold around 60 tickets on the day of the tour and nearly 300 prior to the tour day.
The day's events also included a silent auction at the Tower Park Community Center, as well as food from local eateries, live music and hot coffee to warm up tour-goers going from home to home.
New to the tour this year was the addition of the Fort Thomas’ Military Museum. It was the eighth home on the route. Originally built for the steward of the Army hospital in the early 1900s, Debbie Buckley, Fort Thomas Renaissance coordinator and museum coordinator said that the museum in fact, is a house.
By 2 p.m., Buckley said that she and co-coordinator Bonnie Jansen had seen about 50 tourists.
"The interest has been great," Jansen said of those coming into the museum on the tour. "They’ve really been pleased with it."
The museum had two women come in asking about their fathers and both women had stopped into the right place Buckley said.
Lawrence Schweitzer’s daughter came into the museum asking if her father’s World War II uniform was there. When Buckley showed the woman her father’s uniform that the museum has proudly on a mannequin for display, she said the woman cried.
Harold Zimmerman’s daughter also came to the museum looking for her father’s uniform. It too was on display next to documents of his as well as photos of him.
"[It’s] so interesting to connect items to people, so see the emotion it still brings out," said Buckley.
Jansen agreed, saying that the museum isn’t just about the military.
"It’s about the people, their parents, their children."
If you missed this year’s tour, check out the photos of each home below and a description at
KyPost.com’s Special: Tour of Homes 2009.
If you participated in this year’s tour, click on ‘ADD COMMENT’ below and tell us what your favorite part of the tour was. Was it the museum, the live music or the Thomas family’s "Spirit House?"
