by April Helms

Special Products Editor

Guests at Hower House can play an old-fashioned game of 'I Spy' during the holidays through Dec. 28.

Each of the 28 rooms in the Victorian mansion was decorated for the holidays. Every room contains handmade items and decorations, as well as hidden items to "spy" during the tour. Guests will be given a spyglass to use for the tour, and those wanting to learn how to create the handmade items that can be seen throughout the mansion can find printed instructions for many of the crafts to take home, said assistant director Linda Bussey.

"It's just something kind of fun to do," Bussey said. "You don't have to be a child to enjoy this."

The rooms were all decorated by teams of volunteers, with decorations ranging from elegant to sentimental and even humorous. Fitting in the tour, one of the first things guests will see once they pass the foyer is "Rusty," the Hower House suit of armor, decked out in a bright red scarf, calabash pipe and a deerstalker cap.

One popular room is the Library, which "is especially fun," Bussey said. This room has a gingerbread motif, with a gingerbread house in the middle on a table, and a wooden display stand covered with gingerbread ornaments. Instructions on making the ornaments are available.

Another room, the Dutch Marquetry Suite bedroom on the second floor, looks as if a child were sleeping in the bed, dreaming of Christmas, with toys decorating the area. The toys include an elaborate dollhouse, doll carriage and a Teddy Bear, which became popular in the very early 1900s.

Information

Tours are Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon to 3:30 p.m.. with admission for adults at $6, for seniors 65 and older $ and students $2. Children 6 and under are free with an adult. Sundays are 1 to 4 p.m., are self-guided, and there is $1 off adult admission. Call Hower House 330-972-6909 for details.

E-mail: ahelms@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3153