Holiday Home Tour benefits Loomis youth

Five luxury homes decked out for the season will have the welcome mat out for this year's Loomis Basin Holiday Home Tour on Dec. 10. The 13th annual Loomis Basin Education Foundation fundraiser benefiting Loomis Union School District schools is back after the COVID-19 pandemic hiatus after 2019. "It's back and bigger than ever," chairwoman Dea Wilson said. The home tour is the centerpiece of a day filled with activities. New this year is a car show in conjunction with the tour. The other events, student art exhibit, choir and band performances; holiday boutique; grab-and-go breakfast and gourmet lunch will be at the H. Clarke Powers gym, which is the starting point for the tour. Expect plenty of wow factor, with all of the homes in the 7,000-square-foot range from contemporary to traditional Mediterranean and neo-classical and even a modern farmhouse, Wilson said. Cars on display will range from exotic to classic, performance and racing. In addition, there will be boats and other toys on view. "It's basically a garage/man cave tour to encourage more gentlemen to join us," Wilson said. "Usually, we have more women. We want to give a big reason for the guys to come on the tour as well." The tour, taking in homes Loomis and Granite Bay, will have staggered times with an estimated three-hour completion. First departures will be at 9 a.m., followed by 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. The tour ends at 4 p.m. Dec. 10. Participants will choose a starting time when they buy their tickets online, Wilson said. Upon arrival at H. Clarke Powers, they'll receive a wristband with their start time, brochure with map and booties to wear inside the tour homes. The events at H. Clarke Powers are open to everyone. "You don't need a tour ticket to visit the boutique or buy breakfast or lunch," Wilson said. Holiday boutique The holiday crafts and gifts boutique will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 10 and will feature area vendors and crafters. There are still a couple of vendor spots available, Wilson said. Loomis Union School District students will provide choir and band performances. Between the performances will be holiday music. Art contest and show The art exhibit will showcase the 12 art competition award recipients. "Students in the school district are invited to submit a piece of art with the theme, '"Cruising into Christmas.' We are posting the artwork online and people can vote for their favorite," Wilson explained. Deadline for student art submissions was Nov. 18. The voting starts Nov. 28 and ends Dec. 8. Viewers can browse the art online by school and grade. Each vote is $1. There will be three People's Choice awards for the pieces raising the most money online. Another nine other honorees will be selected by the Holiday Home Tour committee, Wilson said. Food The grab-and-breakfast will be 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Dec. 10 with a menu of fruit, pastry, granola bar, hot cocoa, coffee and tea. Cost is $8. Lunch is 11 a.m./ to 2 p.m. with soups, sandwiches, quiche, salads, dessert bar and drinks. Cost is $22 per person. Raffle A raffle will feature gifts donated by residents and local merchants. Among the raffle prizes are gift baskets, jewelry, gift certificates and holiday decorations. "The big prize is a Ferrari ride and lunch for two," Wilson said. Raffle tickets are available online at $5 each or five for $20. Raffle winners will be announced at the close of the tour and participants do not need to be present to win. VIP night A private home tour and ugly sweater VIP night will be on Dec. 9. "This is for our sponsors and for our contributors, donors and homeowners on the tour," Wilson said. "There are also a small number of tickets available for the general public to purchase at a cost of $100 per person." Online Wilson created a website, loomisholiday.com, for the event, with all information and ticket sales for the tour and raffle as well as art exhibit voting online. There won't be any paper tickets this year. Instead, it will be a QR code system, Wilson said. It takes many volunteers and a lot of hours to plan and carry out this popular holiday event. Through the tour and other fundraising activities, the Loomis Basin Education Foundation has donated more than $100,000 to pay for unfunded school projects and materials in the Loomis Union School District. "I want to say thank you to sponsors, homeowners and participants in the exotic car show," Wilson said. "Without them, we would not be able to conduct this tour and we hope that in these challenging times, bringing a little holiday cheer through our home tour will inspire joy and hope in our local community."