Owners of 10 historic homes in Clarkston will sweep off the welcome mats and open their front doors this weekend during the annual Clarkston SCAMP Home Tour.
This year’s event features a record number of homes?10’each within the Village of Clarkston’s celebrated historic district.
Eight of the homes are on North Main Street and three of the homes were part of the inaugural home tour in 1982.
Organizers are celebrating the event’s silver anniversary.
‘It’s the twenty-fifth year,? said Donna Clancy, executive director for SCAMP’s funding corporation. ‘When the first tour happened, they were hoping to get one or two years of fund-raising out of it.?
SCAMP is a six-week summer day camp offering special-needs children and young adults a chance to experience many of the same activities their mainstream peers enjoy.
Proceeds from the Home Tour defray the cost of hosting more than 350 campers who attend SCAMP each year.
The home of John and Ann Moye, at 114 North Main Street, has been featured on the tour twice before in the couple’s nearly 20 years in Clarkston.
With a full-time job, four cats and a dog, getting ready for the tour means a lot of last minute cleaning, and a bit of outside painting, as well.
Ann, who spent last weekend dusting a large collection of Flow Blue glass she keeps on display in the home, said she began collecting antiques as a teenager, and enjoys her historic home for the same reasons.
‘It’s the preservation of history,? she said.
The house was originally built as a one-family home, but was later divided into a duplex. The Moyes, however, restored it to a single family dwelling and created an open, airy feeling by removing walls that sectioned the home into small rooms.
Each of the 10 homes has its own history and its own unique characteristics.
Attendees can expect a memorable tour, said Clancy, who became involved with SCAMP in 1992 when she could no longer help care for the disabled son of a couple she calls her ‘dearest friends.?
‘I used to watch him, or have him stay overnight,? she said. ‘But as he got bigger and stronger, I just couldn’t do it anymore.?
Clancy knew SCAMP was important to her friends, so she began volunteering at the organization in their honor.
‘You just have to visit (SCAMP) one time to know what it means to everyone involved,? she said.
The home of Steve and Terry Coventry, a few houses away, at 180 North Main Street, is also on the tour.
In fact, the Victorian playhouse to be raffled by SCAMP Saturday was modeled after the Coventry’s home.
‘I’m not sure why they chose our home above all the others,? said Terry Coventry when the project was announced in March, noting the city boasts many beautiful historic homes. ‘But I think it’s great. This house has a lot of history, and we feel like we’re the guardians of that history while we’re here.?
The playhouse measures approximately 16 feet long, 10 feet wide and nearly 12 feet tall.
Only 250 tickets will be sold at $100 each in the playhouse raffle.
‘It’s so cute,? said Coventry. ‘Our grand-children already have half a stake in it. They’re insisting we buy tickets.?
The tour will include the Coventry’s