League of Women Voters…
Annual Tour of Homes
September 5, 2011 

Gently rolling hills and woodlands make the perfect setting for the Erin and Nathan Miley home, the first of the three homes in this year’s League of Women Voters Tour of Homes.  The Tour of Homes, the LWV fundraiser for this year. is set for Sunday afternoon, September 25 from 1 to 5 p.m..  Each of the three homes are unique and offer totally different experiences for visitors. 

On Palatine-Union City Road, the three levels of the Miley home have a very contempory flare but still give a homey feeling for their family with three small children.  The lower floor includes a music studio and sound room for recording, a passion of Nathan, a well known area musician.  Plans are in progress for an equestrian barn on the property since horses are Erin’s passion. The surrounding grounds are a treat, also, with the back gardens terraced from the patio and pool to the lower area with barbeque and children’s play area.  The couple designed the home and grounds and did a big share of  the labor themselves to create a lovely setting for raising a family and one small kitten. 

On Parkdale in Arcanum, the neat ranch with the beautiful landscape does not hint of the treasures within.  Gloria and Donald Rich have customized the interior of their home to showcase from their travels the many finds that compliment their Colonial Period décor.  Pewter items greet visitors entering the foyer with an ornate pickle castor with tongs catching the eye.  Their spacious living room-dining room contains an ancient but beautiful china cupboard with an even more ancient collection of fine china the couple has collected over the years.  Even the bedroom and baths carry through the colonial theme. Stepping out on their back porch brings a view of a lovely garden, complete with fountain. 

South on Grubbs-Rex Road is the third of the Tour homes and the most unique of all! The Angela and Mike Ditmer home is a two story split log home with a clapboard add-on behind the original one room and loft pioneer home.  Inside that “keeping room” the old beams with slightly sagging floor are visible.  A narrow stair in the corner has replaced the ladder that was used to gain access to the loft sleeping quarters upstairs.  Furnishings within both sections of the home are either original primitive or constructed by Angela and Mike to replicate their primitive forerunners.  Their kitchen has been featured in the book The Old Country Home by Judy Condon, published by Marsh Homestead Country Antiques, copyright  2010.  The herb/vegetable/flower garden has paths designed for easy access and leads to a small log cabin on the property that Angela uses to market soaps and primitives.  Everything is for sale, she states, so she will have space to collect more unique items. 

All in all, the 2011 Tour of Homes promises to be a Sunday afternoon full of creative ideas and experiences.  Tickets are $7 purchased ahead or $10 at the door and are available at the Rose Post, Sweet 101, Ann‘s Gifts, Bistro Off Broadway, The Ivy League, Headliners Again,  The Flower Patch, and Furniture Express.  Tickets are needed for children over five years of age.  Call Diane Johnson, 547-3339.