The Olmscheid Home

The 2008 Tour is right around the corner!

Finally, everything is set for the 2008 Tour. Here are all of the details:

Dates: Saturday, November 22, 4:00-8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 23, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Tickets will be for sale at any decorator or co-sponsor listed below (once they are printed-which should be soon).
Tickets will be $15 if you purchase them in advance, or $20 at the door.
All proceeds will be shared with the Minnesota Ronald McDonald House Charities and Hope Lodge in Minneapolis.

Homes, decorators and sponsors:

Curt and Karen Olmschied—25 Riverside Avenue West, Melrose
Decorated by Lisa’s on Main & Snyder V & S Variety
Co-sponsored by Ernie’s Family Foods
The Olmscheid home celebrates its 100 year birthday this year. One step onto the charming front porch and you’ll want to grab a cup of tea and relax. Many distinctive features include: lead and beveled glass windows, pocket doors, hardwood floors and an engraved, cast-iron corner fireplace. The kitchen faces the river giving the most spectacular view of the sunrise every morning. The house has four bedrooms, 2 full baths, kitchen, dining, living room, parlor, and full basement. The third level is used as a music room to accommodate Curt’s love of electric guitars.
The home was built in 1908. Lamberton, of Lamberton and Engelbeck, owned the house at one time. A “Rooms for Rent” sign was found in the old garage suggesting that it was once used as a boarding house. Rumor has it that Charles Lindberg stayed one night.
Come for a visit. Enjoy the holiday atmosphere. I’ll put on a kettle and make us a cup of tea, and we can have a good chat about quilts, homes, gardens, children, or anything that catches our fancy!

Marit Elliott—207 East First Street North, Melrose
Decorated by Green Briar Gifts & Home Décor
Co-sponsored by State Farm Insurance, Dina Pierskalla
Dave and Marit Elliott purchased this home in 1974. Marit lives in the home with her son Adam. This open interior home was built by Dr. Goehrs in 1909. A unique feature of the house is its front porch: 40 feet wide and 10 feet deep, with its inviting porch swing. The Melrose tornado hit a portion of the house in 1980, taking part of the roof and breaking 23 windows as well as the large cedar tree in the front yard. Afterward, the house was repaired and later remodeled in 1990. Even after remodeling, the house retains its arched room look, its hardwood floors, the large windows and spacious look. The remodeling included adding a deck facing the river and the kitchen was moved from the northeast corner to the southeast corner. For many years it was known as the “Kraker House” because A. Kraker raised his family there. The home was made handicap accessible in 2005 for Adam.

Mollie and Ryan Dusha—30744 Co. Rd. 65, Melrose
Decorated by Fleur d’Leigh Floral & Gifts
Co-sponsored by Commercial Contractors Company of Melrose
The Dusha’s built their home during the summer of 2006. While part of the house was built by Rob Klaphake, a former graduate of Melrose Area High School, the Dusha’s, along with Mollie’s father, did much of the finishing work. It is a three story home with all levels finished. The third story holds one bathroom, two bedrooms, a master suite with bathroom and a bonus room above the garage which is used as a toy and play room. The main floor has a great room, formal dining area, kitchen with breakfast nook and a half bath. The basement has one bathroom and a large family room with a “true” field rock fireplace built by Mollie’s father. The Dusha’s enjoy the convenience of where their home is located, the privacy of country living and spending the summers enjoying their open yard.

Steve and Jan Notch – 28086 385th Street, Freeport
Decorated by Freeport Floral & Gifts
Co-sponsored by Melrose Pharmacy
Jan and Steve purchased their home from Steve’s parents in 1997. The house was built in 1952 by Steve’s grandparents. It originally was a 3 bedroom rambler with a partially finished basement and detached garage. In 2002 Jan and Steve remodeled the basement to add 2 additional bedrooms, family room full bathroom and storage. Then in 2006, a two stall garage was added to the house along with a main floor laundry and bathroom. The original plan was to add a 4 season porch but after much thought, Jan and Steve opted for a covered porch look. Jan and Steve have 3 children, Bethanie, Chris and Amanda.

Dan and Jan Atkinson – 39377 County Road 166, Freeport
Decorated by Centre Floral & Gifts
Co-sponsored by Central Minnesota Federal Credit Union
Season’s Greetings! Welcome to Atkinson Acres. The two-story farmhouse was built in 1974 by Dan’s parents to meet the needs of their growing family. The Atkinson family moved into the home in December of 1988 and began raising their daughters, Megan and Katie, who are now in college. They made only minor cosmetic changes until 1999 when, with the help of St. Rosa Lumber, they began a major renovation that changed the exterior design of the home and created a master suite and a more open floor plan. Since then they have been continually doing projects, with much of the work being completed by Dan and a friend. They enjoy the country setting, entertaining, and spending time together in their country home. Enjoy the tour!

Things are coming together for the 2008 Holiday Tour...

Details are coming together for the 2008 Tour of Homes. It's exciting when everything starts to fall into place! We have 5 homes this year on the tour, located in Melrose and Freeport. We have two "old" houses on the river, two farm houses, and one new home! Our decorators are geared up and I'm sure they'll do an excellent job as they have over the past 3 years.

Mark our calendar:
Saturday, November 22, 4:00-8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 23, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Excerpt from STYLE magazine, Holiday Edition 2007, written by Kirsten Freeman

We can all agree, sometimes Christmas can turn into a circus. It becomes a balancing act of treasuring memories of those happy holidays that have passed and embracing the fleeting moments that are here and now. It’s decking the halls and the walls and the mantles and even the snow banks in festive joy.

For the last three years, in the peaceful neighborhoods of Freeport and Melrose, Minnesota, a very generous group of people has come together to celebrate the giving nature of the season while enjoying and sharing the inspiring décor that only comes around this special time of year.

On a spring afternoon in March, 2005 Stacey Austing-Jacobson had just wrapped up her day at her new job as the Community Education Director in Melrose. Her son, Nicholas, then age 7 and his sister, Charlotte, 9, had ridden the bus to the high school where Mom worked. Nicholas was complaining of a stomach and head ache. By the following afternoon, all the color had drained from his skin and he had become violently ill. Nick was admitted to Melrose Hospital, but his condition was deteriorating rapidly. He was transferred to St. Cloud Hospital where it was determined that his kidneys were failing and he needed pediatric dialysis immediately. Nick’s Dad, Nate, climbed on board the helicopter as their son was airlifted to Childrens’ Hospital in Minneapolis while Stacey faced a 2 a.m. solo drive in a snowstorm to the Twin Cities.

Doctors at Childrens’ Hospital determined that either a virus or a toxin similar to e-coli had attacked Nick’s kidneys and caused a condition called HUS or Hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Fewer than two in 100,000 Americans contract the condition annually; most of them are children. Ninety-three percent of patients who develop the condition fully recover – Nick wasn’t going to be that lucky.

“We were so exhausted,” Stacey said. “We had been sleeping on couches for days until a social worker recommended that we check out Ronald McDonald House.”

It’s called “The House That Love Built”… On any given night, 48 families call the Ronald McDonald House of the Twin Cities their home-away-from-home. Families from more than 60 miles away can stay there if they have a child under the age of 19 who is undergoing treatment in the Twin Cities for a life-threatening illness. They are asked to pay a nominal fee per night, if they are able, and are never turned away because of an inability to pay.

“It was an absolutely beautiful place,” Stacey said, “it was like a home on Extreme Home Makeover with granite countertops and laundry rooms and beautiful private sleeping rooms, but for one VERY large family. We were all in the same boat. It was good to have one another. You could always get a daily hug.” Evening meals were prepared by volunteers, sometimes even some of the Vikings players’ wives. The families had access to pantries and refrigerators stocked with food, massages, music therapy, Twins games, friendly human and animal visitors and, most importantly, private family time.

Nick’s parents were trained how to do at-home dialysis and the family moved home while Nick continued to struggle with being both a patient and an active 7-year-old.

“Nick had a port in his abdomen for the dialysis,” Stacey said, “we would wrap him up in bandages and plastic cling wrap under his swim suit so he could run through the sprinklers with the other kids. We tried to make everything as normal as possible.” But by the end of the summer, doctors said his kidneys were never going to be normal again and he was put on the transplant list. Amazingly, both of his parents were matches. Back to the Twin Cities and the Ronald MacDonald House they went. “It was the worst day and the best day of my life,” Stacey said of transplant day at the University of Minnesota when both her husband and son were wheeled into surgery. That day, Nate gave Nick the best present ever – a new kidney.

“So, that’s what Christmas and life has become to us,” Stacey said. “We know now how much more rewarding it is to give than to receive and how very lucky we are. It’s amazing the things you find out that you are capable of when you’re faced with something like this.”

That fall, as she was at home raking leaves, typically a chore she usually didn’t appreciate, Stacey was suddenly inspired. “I was so grateful to just be at home again with our healthy son and his healthy kidney, and I started thinking about all those families who were still at Ronald McDonald House,” Stacey said. “I just had to do something to help – to make sure there would always be that place of refuge.” So, with the thought of a holiday event in mind and the spirit of giving as inspiration, she put down the rake, put on a hat and just started walking to neighbors and asking for help. She had no plan, no agenda, just a desire to somehow help others who she knew were struggling. “Then one day at lunchtime, I just drove downtown and started asking the businesses to help also.” The group had a meeting and the Holiday Tour was born. Each year, several homes are selected to be featured on the Tour. Each home is professionally and complimentary decked out in holiday finery by a local business. Everyone involved donates their time and talent to the event and together, they raise thousands of dollars and generate much awareness for the Ronald MacDonald House. “They gave so much to us,” Stacey said, “it’s wonderful to give a little back.”