ROCKY MOUNT – Tickets to STEP Into Christmas, a home tour fundraiser for Solutions That Empower People (STEP), are now on sale and can be purchased at several local retailers or reserved by contacting STEP. The tour will be held December 8, 1-5 p.m.and features five homes on Maple Avenue in Rocky Mount.
Maple Avenue was once a main thoroughfare in the community with huge maple trees forming a tunnel over the single lane road. Some of the homes on the street and in the tour date back to the 1800s and still retain much of their original woodwork and features. The tour homes will each be decorated in styles unique to their owners.
“Ticket holders will have a one-of-a-kind opportunity to see first-hand the inside of some of Rocky Mount’s most distinctive historic homes,” said Marc Crouse. “People who take the tour will be able to see parts of homes not often open to the general public. They will hear about their history and stories about the families who have lived there. It’s going to be a very fun afternoon.”
The homes included in this year’s tour are owned by Lucas and Carol Tuning (280 Maple Ave.); Ann and Rod Cook (265 Maple Ave.); Mike and Chrisanne Carter (210 Maple Ave.); Ann Carter Lee Gravely (65 E. Church Street); and Suzanne Simpson Cooper (185 Maple Ave.). The event will also feature strolling Christmas carolers and seasonal refreshments at Trinity Episcopal Church, known for its beautiful stained glass windows.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the tour. They can be purchased at Carter’s Fine Jewelers and ReMax Mountain to Lake Realty in Rocky Mount, at Haywood Jewelers in Rocky Mount and Moneta, and at the STEP Rocky Mount office on Dent Street. Tickets can also be reserved by calling 540-483-5142, ext. 3003.
With offices in Rocky Mount, Stuart, and Martinsville, STEP offers services to low income and people in poverty in those areas as well as Bedford and Danville. Funds raised during the tour will help support these programs: Early Head Start and Head Start; youth services (LIFES Academy and Project Discovery); senior services (Meals on Wheels, transportation); supportive services (re-entry, homelessness prevention); housing and weatherization; and financial services (tax preparation assistance). STEP’s mission is to empower people to overcome barriers to economic, educational and developmental success within the communities it serves.