THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 9, 1994 TAG: 9412070115
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: E12C EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SUSAN W. SMITH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 106 lines
Four River Walk families will open their doors Sunday to hundreds of holiday guests.
Tables are set with heirloom crystal and china. Ornately wrapped packages are stacked under twinkling trees. Velvet bows, green and gold garlands and impressive floral touches deck hallways, mantels and banisters in time for the third annual ``Holiday Homes Chesapeake'' tour.
The activities, which take place from 2 to 6 p.m., begin at the River Crest Community Center, 1001 River Walk Parkway, with opening remarks by Mayor William E. Ward. Tickets cost $8 in advance and $10 at the door.
The tour is sponsored by the Great Bridge Woman's Club and supported by the Chesapeake Fire Department. Proceeds benefit ``Paint Your Heart Out Chesapeake,'' a community improvement project, and the Great Bridge Woman's Club Scholarship Fund.
Guests are encouraged to wear flat shoes and enjoy refreshments, displays and craft demonstrations at the community center. Many items can be purchased.
Visitors will ride an old-fashioned trolley car to the sites of the open houses. There's a special stop at the Georgian Manor to see the Gum Tree Farm Living Nativity and to hear a children's bell choir.
Kevin and Kathy Prendergast, who live on Marina Reach, chose a Kensington Country Christmas theme. Kevin Prendergast's naval career took the family to Cornwall, England, for several years, where they savored and collected Victorian and Edwardian pieces.
Unusual touches at the Prendergast home include a goldfish pond and the builder's keystone signature throughout the outside and inside of the house.
Pedestals of fresh flowers adorn the Victorian dining room, which is ready for a traditional Christmas feast. Visitors should note the 75-year-old watercolors in 14-karat gold frames, an old Thomas Pearce clock face with its oil paintings of English churches and a hallway clock with watercolor etchings trimmed in gold leaf.
A silver Christmas tree sparkles and shines in the front parlor. The silver star ornaments were handmade by Kathy Prendergast's Italian grandfather and the crystal ornaments were collected in Hong Kong. This room also showcases a chamber pot collection, Wedgewood U.S. bicentennial plates, an original bentwood chair and a signed antique vanity set.
In the kitchen tea cakes, fancy cookies and pastries are set out and ready to go with a pot of tea. Strands of popcorn and cranberries and a collection of White House historical ornaments trim the family room tree.
On the deck birdhouses created by 5 Cat Studio of Chesapeake are on display and are for sale. Trish Beckman, a local watercolor artist, will have some of her work there, and a harpist will add soft sounds of the season.
Nancy Clay Hopping of Clay Interiors assisted with the design and decorating of the Prendergast home.
``Angels from the Realms of Glory'' is the theme Phillip and Sharon Price of Loch Island Drive chose for their white Victorian home.
Angels sway from the magnificent chandelier in the entryway. Angels cluster and nestle on the all-white mantel. And angels wing up from coffee tables and from the center of the dining room table. Even tiny little cherubs hold court in the baths.
Antique pieces from Phillip Price's family, heirloom china and handmade pieces by Sharon Price's father will be on display. The boy's and girl's bedrooms reveal the magical Christmas of children with toy soldiers and antique dolls that watch over stacks of wrapped presents.
Pine, holly, mistletoe, cinnamon, poinsettias and lots of greenery trim tops of cabinets and fill baskets throughout. Watch for the gingerbread house in the kitchen and the geese in the back yard. Even the gazebo that overlooks the Elizabeth River wetlands has its own decorated tree. Designer Helen Shoup assisted with some of the decorations and arrangements.
Scott and Janette Crumley might have been ``Dreaming of a White Christmas'' when they designed and built their first home. Their white brick house sits along the Intracoastal Waterway on River Strand. Gene Shull of Floral Events Ltd. helped the Crumleys with their white Christmas theme.
It's magic from the large gilded swan and pumpkin carriage out front to the sweeping staircase, dramatic 22-foot foyer and eclectic interior.
In almost every room watch for the sun, moon and stars tucked into arrangements, peeping out from the mantel and glittering from their hiding places.
Music by a Great Bridge High School ensemble and two dozen flickering candles in the dining room add to the enchantment.
Suzanne Talbert, owner of Fleur D'Or, has gold-sprayed and dipped topiary and ornaments on display and priced for sale.
Joan and Bill Ohrnberger are celebrating their first Christmas in Virginia by welcoming visitors to their contemporary home on River Strand. Glenda Fowler of Lasting Impressions assisted with the decorations.
The Ohrnberger home also recently won ``best in white light show'' in River Walk for its exterior light display.
Inside pastels take on a festive, seasonal look with wreaths in peach, blue, green and gold. The large white and gold trimmed tree is ready for Santa's visit.
In the formal living room, a pianist will play as Father Christmas stands in silent watch. In the kitchen, Chef Kevin Litscher will be preparing light hors d'oeuvres.
Upstairs see a gold reindeer pulling a sleigh in the master bedroom and tiptoe past a sleeping Santa in a guest bedroom. In the daughter's bedroom, snowflakes drift down from the ceiling, and a train chugs through a snow-covered village.
In the garage there's an animated show of Santa, elves, trains and carousels. There's even a Santa, who some say is Bill Ohrnberger, to wish to one and all a merry Christmas. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Phillip and Sharon Price of Loch Island Drive use an angel theme.
by CNB