Tickets are on sale for the 13th annual Get Healthy De Soto Holiday Home Tour, to be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26.
Tickets cost $15 each or two for $25. Each one comes with a booklet featuring a map and detailed information about each of the 10 stops on the tour. Organizers typically limit sales to about 300 tickets, so getting yours early is advised.
Proceeds from the tour will benefit Get Healthy De Soto, a nonprofit organization that encourages people to exercise, eat well and make healthy choices.
The theme for this year’s tour is “Old Time Christmas Movies” and includes stops at eight houses, the Knights of Columbus Hall and the LaChance Vineyards, said Debby Campbell, Get Healthy De Soto board member.
The homes range from a country farmhouse to modern family homes to a sprawling brick ranch. All will be decorated for the holidays.
Tickets are on sale at the following locations:
■ First State Community Bank locations on Main Street and Boyd Street in De Soto.
■ The De Soto Public Library.
■ Pogolino’s Restaurant in De Soto.
■ The De Soto Chamber of Commerce office.
■ Cherished Memories on Main Street in De Soto.
■ Drummond’s Florist on Hwy. 21 in De Soto.
■ Leader Publications in Festus.
Home base for the tour is the Knights of Columbus Hall, 13225 Hwy. E. The annual Country Market that accompanies the tour will be set up there and will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., too. Admission to the Country Market is free for those with Home Tour tickets; others will be charged $2 to get in.
About 20 vendors will be on hand with handmade wares, like wood-turned bowls; hand-forged metal items from a local blacksmith; fresh, locally grown beef and pork from the Pierce Century Farm; locally produced honey from Busy Bee Apiary; hand-tooled adult jewelry; hand-painted signs and home decor; handcrafted lotions and soaps; unique handmade stationery items; and quilting pieces.
“This is a great way to find one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts for the special people on your list,” Campbell said.
After the Country Market, the next stop on the tour is Lori and Rob Heimos’ Franklin Ridge Road home featuring 18 decorated Christmas trees.
This year, five of the tour’s homes are in the 300 block of Thomas Street, just off Boyd Street on the north side of De Soto.
“It should be an easy, one-stop sort of situation,” Campbell said. “People can park and just walk from house to house.”
The last two homes are out of town slightly. One is on Picadilly Court in the Briarwood Estates subdivision off Hwy. Y and the other on Stonehouse Road off Hwy. H.
There will be a raffle basket at each home, and tickets will cost $1 each or six for $5. Tour participants may get their ticket stamped at each stop.
“If all your ticket squares are stamped, your name goes in a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to LaChance,” Campbell said.
The tour ends at the winery, 12237 Peter Moore Lane off Hwy. Y, where tour participants may have a glass of wine and hash over what they’ve seen.
“We encourage people to visit there and some of the other local restaurants in between house visits,” Campbell said. “They are also welcome to check out some of the shops and boutiques along Main Street. It’s Small Business Saturday that day, and these are the places that support us.”
Tour participants are encouraged to take photos along the way as permitted and share them on Instagram @GetHealthyDeSoto or on the Get Healthy De Soto Facebook page.
In case of inclement weather, the tour will be held from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27.
For more information, go to gethealthydesoto.org, visit the group’s Facebook page or call Campbell at 636-586-4570.