Symphony holiday house tour draws near
The Butler County Symphony Association's 24th annual Holiday Tour of Homes Dec. 7 will feature some well-loved and well-built residences.
A cookie reception will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 201 W. Jefferson St. A benefit luncheon from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. will be available for $5 at the same location. Holiday baskets will be on display at the reception.
Tucked off Anderson Road and nestled in the woods in Penn Township is the log home of Al and Marla Pettit, both teachers at a Montessori School in Hampton.
The home was completed in 2001 and sits on a 7-acre parcel of farmland. It boasts 4,100 square feet of living space.
The house was designed by the couple with an emphasis on keeping it local which also meant the labor.
“This house was a labor of love. Literally everyone in the family took part in the staining and sanding of the interior wood,” said Al.
The logs are D-shaped eastern white pine from the Adirondacks in New York. The open, post-and-beam construction features on-site milled wood components including Douglas fir posts, local Amish-cut hemlock stairs, local cherry wood flooring and quartersawn white oak cabinetry.
“The kitchen cabinets were designed Marla's brother and fashioned in Pittsburgh and on site,” he said.
“We really tried to source what we could locally, said Al. Granite counter tops, flooring and the immense glass windows are all from Western Pennsylvania.
Walking into the house a hint of wood smell greets the senses.
A cozy mud room with ceramic tile and country decor opens up into the kitchen dining area, but the open floor plan teases with a view of most of the first floor.To the left of the mudroom is the dining room with formal table and a lovely view of the front yard. Antique pottery is displayed in the corner. The kitchen has magnificent quarter oak hewn cabinets.“The cabinetry was all designed and crafted by my wife's brother. The project took 10 months,” Al said.Granite counter tops complement the woodwork on the cabinets and the lovely cherry flooring. Beside the kitchen is one of Marla's favorite spots, a sitting area.“This is the perfect place for morning coffee,” she said of the cozy space with plump leather furniture. “The house is perfect for entertaining. I can be in the kitchen preparing, and people can be chatting with me from here,” she said.Originally the Pettits had an eating area. “We realized the dining area wasn't being used, and it made more sense, because the kitchen seems to be where people hang out, to make this a sitting space,” said Al.The sitting area opens out onto a lovely deck and in-ground pool. Across is the great room which features 21-foot-high ceilings, 72-inch custom window panels, and a fireplace with a warm, cast iron wood-burning stove from Vermont. French doors open out onto a deck which spans 70 feet.Here is the family Christmas tree with a custom-built train platform that causes the train to run under the tree.“We use a Lionel train and ceramic houses and village,” he explained. The Pettits are minimalists and allow the beauty of the house be the decoration.The furnishings are an eclectic mix of mission, Queen Anne and treasured family pieces.In the corner by the fireplace sits an antique lowboy. “That piece has been in my family since the 1700s,” explained Al whose family was originally from Philadelphia. Apparently the legend is one of his ancestors named Hannah knelt on it and saw Gen. George Washington march by her Philadelphia home. The striking piece features a lovely collection of family photos.
The master suite has a bathroom and shower. The beautiful stained glass window in the bathroom was fashioned in memory of Marla's mother.“When my mother died, she gifted us with the funds that we put toward designing this window. The floral design is because of her love of flowers and the three flowers represent her three children,” explained Marla.“The windows in this room open up and create a nice breeze, which make it really efficient in the summer time with the sunlight warming the room in winter, “ said Al.Up the handcrafted staircase are two bedrooms and a bathroom. Decorated sparsely, the family calls the sleeping areas their “inn rooms” or guest rooms.“We want our visitors to come and make it their own, not feel like they are displacing our belongings to fit theirs in,” said Al of the rooms which are rarely used unless company is expected.The stairs lead down to a full walkout lower level which features two bedrooms, a full bath, a family room with a fireplace, a library and an office.“This is where we hang out with each other and where we hosted my daughter's wedding,” said Marla.The main room boasts a log-burning fireplace and a comfortable sectional. The mantel is bedecked with a historic Williamsburg building collection. Artifacts and historical memorabilia from the Civil War through to Korea are on display on the wooden book shelves.Robert Griffing paintings and Shaker-style works from New England artists adorn this lower level. Flanking the doors to the walkout are antique print type boxes with mementos. “These are little treasures from places we've been or things the kids have given us or things that remind us of them,” Marla said.Although all but the youngest of Al and Marla's children have moved on to homes of their own, all look forward to the holidays with family and friends in the warmth and comfort of the Pettit family home.The house of John and Nancy Farinelli is a delightful home with some extensive holiday collections.Their 3,000-square-foot home in Heartland Estates in Meridian was built in 2008. It's a combination of the downsizing of their old home on Mercer Road and their home on the Chesapeake Bay.“Our home of 37 years was very sectioned with lots of rooms. We decided to build this home with an open floor plan in mind,” said Nancy Farinelli, a retired first-grade teacher.“Our home is special because we designed it versus buying a home,” said John Farinelli. “The entrance with the double stairway, the eight-foot interior doors and the gourmet kitchen are some of my favorite features of the home.”
The four-bedroom, 3.5- bath home is decorated in a traditional style and features more than 600 pieces of Vaillancourt folk art collectibles.“John and I have collected these chalkware Santas for 23 years,” Nancy explained. The curio that holds the Santa collection is full and on display year round. But the Farinellis bring out their vast collection of ornaments especially for the holidays which will be featured throughout the home.“We will have nine trees decorated for the tour in various themes,” she said.A Santa tree will be upstairs with more traditional trees in red and green elsewhere in the home. The family room tree features personal family ornaments, while a feather tree will be decorated with some of their hand-blown Vaillancourt ornament vollection.John Farinelli's collection of antique blue and gray stoneware will also be on display.“I think he's been collecting that for 30 or so years,” she said.“It represents a great history of the mid- to late 1800s in southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia,” said John.We have had the wonderful experience to visit and dig at original pottery sites in Greensboro, Pa.,” he added.One of their pieces was featured in a book. “A 20 gallon crock, currently in our family room, was featured by Dr. Carmen Guappone, a well-known author who published both historical and illustrated price guide books during the 1970s, '80s and '90s,” he said.Also sprinkled throughout the home are various works of art by Nancy's late father, C.T. Dumbaugh, and by local artist Tom Panei.And while the couple adores collecting, it is the collection around the table for Christmas dinner that is most important.“I usually host Christmas dinner on Christmas Day, and our family gathers together making our kitchen and dining room, one of my favorite places to be during the holiday,” said Nancy.
<B>WHAT: </B>The Butler County Symphony Association 24th Annual Holiday Tour of Homes<B>WHEN:</B> 10 a.m. — 5 p.m. Dec. 7<B>WHERE: </B>Butler County * Reception 11 a.m. — 4 p.m. at Faith United Presbyterian Church, 1529 N. Main Street Extension<B>TICKETS:</B> $15 Presale at Symphony Office, 259 S. Main St.; May's Music Shoppe, 247 E. Jefferson St.; Meridian Gift Shop, 298 Meridian Road; and Flynn's Tire Center, 236 N. Main St. $20 day of the tour available at any of the homes.<B>INFO: </B>724-283-1402 or www.butlersymphony.org
Other locations on the Butler County Symphony's 24th Annual Holiday Tour of Homes include:• 108 Charles St.: A 1928 structure that has been home to the current owners since 1987. The home features family artifacts and treasures, as well as carpentry work by the owner and his son. A gingerbread collection and a family of more than 100 dolls are on display.• 101 Troll Creek Lane: A shuttle will be available at The Atrium, 1031 New Castle Road, Prospect, for visits to this home. With a whimsical troll theme, this home boasts a Nordic feel. It is a log home that was designed and built in 2005. An outdoor cat house is a unique feature of this fun home.• 109 Saxonburg Road: This classic farmhouse built in 1927 has been featured in magazines such as Country Living, House Beautiful, Cottages & Bungalows and This Old House. It features a newly remodeled kitchen, gorgeous bamboo flooring and a clever use of a barn door.• St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 201 W. Jefferson St.: The congregation began in 1813. As the Great Depression loomed, Schramm Hall, the Sunday school building, was built. The current 1954 church was built in the modified English Gothic style.
