Urbana was bustling June 25-26 as it welcomed visitors to the 24th Annual Historic Home and Garden Tour with open arms! The Champaign County Preservation Alliance wishes to thank all those individuals who made this happen. The event is the major fundraiser of the CCPA and serves to demonstrate the importance of preserving our structures/history for future generations. From the unique use of space in a Lustron model home, to the complete renovation of a retail/apartment building, the visitor traveled through a wide variety of architectural styles, sizes and ages of homes to discover the feasibility of adapting the older structures to the needs of the twenty-first century. All without destroying the character of the structure!
Not only does the event support the projects of the CCPA, but, also serves as an opportunity to “showcase” Urbana and Champaign County. The majority of the guests are not local and many do return to the area to enjoy our quaint shops and restaurants – this benefits everyone!
The CCPA is extremely grateful to the home and garden owners, Johnny Appleseed Museum and the First Baptist Church who opened their doors for the public to experience preservation firsthand. This is a great commitment on their part and we appreciate their generosity. Thank you!
The CCPA would be unable to sponsor this event without the monetary support of the entire community and we offer a special thank you to our benefactors, Bundy Baking Solutions and The People’s Savings Bank, our home sponsors, patrons, special friends, contributors and those who purchased ads in our program booklet.
Our 246 volunteers who served as guides at each site and those who drove the shuttle vans truly make this event possible. We could not offer this tour without your help – it is a community event and we appreciate your support!
To Urbana Mayor, Bill Bean, Director of Administration, Kerry Brugger, the cemetery staff, and Colin Stein and the gentlemen of the street department, we sincerely appreciate your help with our banners, signs, welcome tent, the use of the city facilities and the parking lot.
The Urbana Daily Citizen did an outstanding job with the separate tab edition and feature articles both before and after the event. Our thanks to Brenda Burns, Kathy Fox, Lane Moon and staff for their help and cooperation with the coverage of our event.
Many thanks to the local auto agencies for the loan of the shuttle vans, our local florists for the outstanding flowers, Boldman’s for their work on the ticket booklet, area businesses for their advertising, pre-sale tickets and raffle prizes, and all the craft persons, entertainers and civic groups who participated.
Our hats off to the excellent tour committee who dedicated hundreds of hours to ensure a fun-filled, memorable weekend for those who came to experience Urbana’s hospitality. They are one awesome group!
Sandy Gonzalez
Dusty Hurst
Suzanne McCoy
Rich Colvin
Karen White
Janet Dye
Barbara Perry
Core Committee
CCPA Historic Home & Garden Tour
