The Woman’s Club of McLean works indefatigably from October through December to present its annual Homes Tour, raising money for a list that includes mostly local charities in McLean.
Most of those who work to create the tour also help with the McLean Project for the Arts museum shops at the McLean Community Center on the weekend after Thanksgiving, said Homes Tour Chairman Joan Morton.
“You go from Thanksgiving, to the [McLean Project for the Arts] shops, to the tour, and then you have to worry about your own family,” she said.
“We make good money, to be able to put back into the community. That makes it worth it,” she said.
The recipients of this seasonal labor of love include the Hospice of Northern Virginia, the Alzheimer’s Respite Center, Alternative House for troubled youth, the Stephanie House for battered women and children, the McLean Orchestra, the McLean Volunteer Fire Department, the McLean Project for the Arts, the Lewinsville Retirement Center, and the McLean Falls Church Children’s Center at Lemon Road Elementary School.
The Woman’s Club also gives college scholarships to women returning to the work force, Morton said.
“The money we give is for scholarships for those who don’t have the money,” she said.
Usually, they cover one term of tuition to either George Mason University or Northern Virginia Community College, Morton said.
The club also sends one sophomore from McLean and Langley High Schools to a leadership seminar and provides music scholarships for middle school students, and pays for elementary school students from McLean to attend a camp on safety.
THIS YEAR’S HOUSE TOUR acknowledges the history of McLean by visiting three homes that predate the origin of McLean and one, located in McLean Heights, built in 1920.
“You started with a small house, and see what they’ve done to it over the years, and still retain the historical value,” said Morton.
A shuttle bus will ferry visitors to Merryhill from the parking lot at Trinity United Methodist Church.
Street parking is available at the Robert Jacobi home, 1601 Longfellow Ct., and the home of Diane Hellens and Neel Teague, 1427 Lady Bird Dr.
For Prospect Hill, the home of Lee and Howard Forman at 947 Bellview Road, parking is limited to side streets with no parking on Bellview Road.
To visit Merryhill, the home of Christine Hughes Ostrovsky and Abe Ostrovsky, shuttle buses will leave from Trinity United Methodist Church.
The boutique at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer includes Café Noel, which will serve hot soup, lobster on a seafood roll, and chicken salad lunches for carryout or dine-in lunches, crafters, a country kitchen with homemade baked goods for sale, a silent auction, and “grandmother’s attic,” a sale of slightly used items that have been donated.
Tickets for the homes tour are on sale for $20 at Mesmeralda’s in McLean, POSH’s in Vienna, the Golden Pineapple in Great Falls, Foxes Music in Falls Church, Dominque’s Oriental rugs in Tysons Center II, or by calling (703) 893-3798.
There is no charge to visit the Boutique at the Church of the Redeemer. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. House tour hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
In bad weather, information will be available at WUSA/Channel 9 or by calling 703-892-5393.
Tickets can be purchased on the day of the tour at the Church of the Redeemer; sales are limited to 1,000, Morton said.