Events and Activities : LPC Womens Club Tour of Homes

The LPC Womens Club "Homes for the Holidays" Tour of Homes will be held Sunday, December 8th from 4:30-7:00 pm.  The four homes and one business that will be on the tour this year are Ryan & Crystal Wisenbach, 3214 Benson Ave, Brandon, IA, Nick & Terri Donlea, 2814 Benson Shade Grove Ave, Jesup, IA (both Wisenbach and Donlea homes are in the same area and will be worth the drive), Tracey Schmitz Horne and Tim Horne, 7502 E Reinbeck Rd, La Porte City, BJ & Andrea McMahon, 12106 Kober Rd, La Porte City and Old Stone Bistro, 203 Main St, La Porte City.  You may purchase tickets to the Tour at LPC Connect on Main St or day-of at any of the showcased homes during the tour.  Tickets are $10 each.  
The Little Knights Learning Center is also holding its annual Soup Supper on the same evening, Sunday, December 8th. Stop anytime from 4:00-8:00 pm and warm up with soup, sweet Treats, and hot chocolate.  The event is open to the public and is free-will donation.  
Homes for the Holidays:Tracey Schmitz Horne and Tim Horne home:Tracey & Tim purchased their home in 2016 as a second home because they lived full-time in Arizona at the time. Tracey grew up right next door, so the view felt like home.  They started working on the house, spending weeks of their vacation remodeling, and during the pandemic, Tracey was able to work remotely, so they were able to spend more time in Iowa getting more things accomplished.  They sold their home in Arizona in 2023 and moved to Iowa full-time.  Inside and outside improvements are numerous in quantity and Tracey states that they have basically touched every inch of the house as everything was mostly original from 1963 when the house was built.  They were originally looking for an old farmhouse but when they saw the property, they fell in love with it.  They have tried to bring a bit of the old farmhouse feeling into their design by mixing antiques with new pieces.  
Old Stone BistroThe Old Stone Bistro building was erected by La Porte City founder, Dr. Jesse Wasson in 1878 which makes the building close to 150 years old.  The Wasson building has served many purposes over the years including radio broadcasts of the Chicago Cubs and dances held in the second-story ballroom.  The building was purchased by Dave & Vi Neil in 2013 who have restored the building to its original grandeur.  The Old Stone Bistro opened in July 2024 and the building is filled with antiques including many La Porte City school and town artifacts.  The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday and has also been a big supporter of La Porte City events even on their closed days.  Stop in at the Old Stone Bistro to admire the antiques and the Old Town Christmas feeling that the restaurant is sure to be decorated with and also to enjoy a complimentary sweet treat that they will be serving for the evening.     Ryan & Crystal WisenbachThe Wisenbach home was built in 2023 and is a "shouse" style home. Features include a large open-concept living/kitchen area with loft and 24ft ceilings finished with pine. Ryan & Crystal have been living in their home for about a year now and it is still a bit of a work in progress. The tree featured in the picture is a special one for Crystal as it is decorated by Hallmark angels that her godmother has been gifting her since she was born. The drive will be worth it to see this newly constructed "shouse" style home. 
Nick & Terri DonleaThe Donleas built their house in 2013 and one of the things that they are most proud of is that when they bought their property, it had zero trees on it. As of today, they have almost 50 trees planted on the property. They are skilled DIY'ers and love new projects. They just finished an addition to the garage this month and now have a proper wood shop for those projects.   When building the house, aside from the concrete work and framing, plumbing, and electric work, the Donleas did all of the interior finishing ourselves. The Donlea holiday decor changes from year to year, but this year Terri wanted to create a natural, cozy vibe for their home. You can expect to see lots of greenery, mixed with a neutral color scheme and lots of textures.  The Donleas live near the interstate and the drive will be worth it to see this home and its surrounding property full of a forest of trees.
BJ & Andrea McMahonThe McMahons have done extensive remodeling of their home of which they did a lot of the work themselves and say that every piece of wood in the house, they've had their hands on it.  A cousin who does cabinets helped make all the cabinets, trim, and doors.  The McMahons started their addition in 2022 and had always wanted a fireplace and mantel.  They actually found the barn beams before they started the addition and ended up also using them for around the stairs.  BJ & Andrea did all the stonework around the fireplace and the front of the house themselves.  Many who have visited the McMahon home comment on the patio which Andrea designed and the deck which BJ did along with help on the concrete.  Even if it's too cold to sit on the patio, if possible, take a peek at it when you're in the McMahon home.