Home and Garden Tour and Friday Evening Twilight Reception 2012

Cottage Home Neighborhood Association invites the public to explore their historic neighborhood located just northeast of downtown. The 2012 tour highlights the neighborhood’s successful return from the brink. The weekend kicks-off on Friday, May 18 with a twilight reception and behind-the-scenes tour showcasing three Vonnegut and Bohn-designed doubles on Dorman Street. Partiers will enjoy wine and gourmet appetizers created by chef Rebecca Hostetter of Duos and listen to the Indianapolis-based trio Tonos Triad while relaxing in the community garden.

This year’s tour celebrates a neighborhood on the rebound. Several of the homes featured on the tour were vacant or fire damaged and might have ended up on the demolition list were it not for the perseverance of dedicated owners. Most had to be completely gutted and taken back to the studs. Owners retained the original look of the properties by restoring historic woodwork, hardwood floors, windows, and decorative cottage doors. In the past three decades, Cottage Home Neighborhood Association fought other threats, including a plan to route a highway through the area, inappropriate industrial zoning, and plans to turn the neighborhood into an industrial park. Neighbors voted to become a conservation district in 2008.

Tour goers will view eight eclectic homes and six gardens selected to showcase the creative and diverse decorating styles of our residents. Home and garden enthusiasts will see restorations and one new construction. They will meet homeowners happy to discuss their house’s history and share renovation stories and tips. Throughout the weekend, visitors can sample fabulous homemade refreshments while listening to live music in the Cottage Home Park.

The tour not only draws attention to the revitalization taking place in Cottage Home, but is also the urban neighborhood’s major fundraiser for the year. Last year the neighborhood saw a whirlwind of activity as volunteers converted five vacant lots into a community space full of flowers, garden plots for neighborhood residents, and a soon-to-be completed shelter house. Two new homes were built in the neighborhood as well as expansion projects undertaken by growing families who desired to stay in the area.

The twilight tour reception is scheduled for Friday, May 18, 6:00 - 9:00 PM with reservations due by May 14. The $45 twilight reception cost includes a ticket for the weekend home tour. The home and garden tour is Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20, 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM Tickets are available for $12.00 in advance and $14.00 at any of the tour homes. Advance tickets are available at Marsh Supermarkets, Midland Arts & Antiques Market, Pogue's Run Grocer, and Financial Health Federal Credit Union.

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Calendar

Saturday March 2
Community Garden Clean Up

Thursday March 7
Curbside Recycling Pickup

Monday March 11, 6 PM - 8 PM
Land Use Committees

Tuesday March 12, 6 PM - 8 PM
Board Meeting

Thursday March 21
Curbside Recycling Pickup

Saturday March 30
Community Space Clean Up

Monday April 1
Membership Meeting
Legacy Center on the campus of Tech High School

Monday April 8, 6 PM - 8 PM
Land Use Committees

Tuesday April 9, 6 PM - 8 PM
Board Meeting