For the past 10 years, Get Healthy De Soto has held a holiday house tour.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the group knew they couldn’t hold the traditional tour, but they didn’t want to cancel the event.
“It’s our major fundraiser of the year,” said Melissa McAlpine, the group’s executive director.
So, the group decided to hold a virtual tour – a presentation of photographs and videos featuring seven homes on this year’s tour.
The presentation will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28.
“You’ll be able to see it on our YouTube channel, on our Facebook page, through our website and Jefferson College’s cable station (Charter Cable Channel 989),” McAlpine said.
For those craving a little more interaction, they can view the presentation at a watch party at the De Soto Public Library, 712 S. Main St., with possibly another location to be announced soon.
For the watch party, the house tour presentation will be shown on a screen outside, which will allow social distancing.
There also will be a propane heater “so we don’t freeze to death,” McAlpine said.
The watch party is free, but registration is required.
Get Healthy group members were disappointed to call off the traditional tour event, but it was necessary, McAlpine said
“You have to remember that Healthy is part of our name,” she said. “We can’t really ask people to go on tours of homes. It’s one thing for the people who are taking the tour, but we’d really be putting at risk the homeowners and our 25 volunteers, who would be exposed to the 300 people who typically go on our tour.”
Canceling the event entirely wasn’t an option, though.
“We have so many stories of connections being made with this tradition. Grandmothers talk about going on the tour with their daughters and granddaughters, and then everyone going out to eat afterward and sharing memories,” McAlpine said. “So, we were thinking that we can still have some sense of connection.”
The theme for this year’s tour, she said, is “If These Walls Could Talk,” and the presentation will include information about the homes, as well as interviews with homeowners about the history of their properties.
More information will be included in a commemorative book that Get Healthy De Soto is selling in advance of the virtual tour presentation.
Books will be sold for $10 through the group’s website (gethealthydesoto.org) or at the following locations:
■ Pogolino’s, 530 N. Second St., De Soto.
■ First State Community Bank, 328 Main St. and 1801 Old Boyd St., De Soto.
■ Drummond’s Florist, 12911 Hwy. 21, De Soto.
■ Cherished Memories Florist, 400 S. Main St., De Soto.
■ De Soto Public Library, 712 S. Main St.
■ Cottage Grove Quilt Co., 200 S. Main St., De Soto.
■ Leader Publications, 503 N. Second St., Festus.
“You’ll be able to pick up your books at the library, or we can mail them to you if you add the cost of the shipping,” McAlpine said, which will be $2.50.
She said those who pre-order the book before Nov. 22 will be recognized on the credits of the virtual tour presentation.
“Only one of the seven properties on this year’s tour has been on the tour before, so even if you’ve been on all 10 of them, you’ll be able to experience some new things,” McAlpine said.
“This is going to be amazing,” she said. “It will just be amazing in a different way.”
More information, including how to register for the presentation and watch parties, can be found at the website as well.