Tuesday evening, June 3, 2008, St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church Women gave a standing ovation to Marge Barrett upon the announcement that she is the Honorary Chair for the 50th Anniversary Tour of Homes. The occasion was the ECW “Welcome Back” picnic and the theme was “Tour of Homes – Past and Present.” Becky Johnson, Co-Chair for the 2008 tour with Jean Brooks, read the following:
Marge Barrett is a Blowing Rock treasure. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit with her over lunch recently and to learn more about her involvement with the Tour of Homes. She and her late husband Homer bought their home in Blowing Rock in August, 1968 and every week-end that they came up to visit, so did the fog. At last Marge was able to see their magnificent view on Thanksgiving when they awoke to a snowstorm. Marge and Homer took Blowing Rock by storm. Marge says, “Homer did more in the church and I did more in the community.” They became active members of St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Parish in the early 1970’s. Marge’s first involvement with the tour was selling raffle tickets. She wasted no time and soon she and Margaret Anne Swink were chairing the silent auction. “It went on for years,” Marge says, “In fact, I have never been on the tour because I was always busy doing something else. This year I am going on the tour.” Marge chaired the tour in 1991 and 1992 with Bobby Ball and in 1993 with Edith Shelton, Nancy Wines, and Margaret Anne Swink and again in 1994 with Margaret Anne. I looked through Marge’s committee notes when she was chair and under item IV. “July” was listed item A. “Pray for good weather.”
I asked Marge what she remembers from past tours and it is the people who come to mind. “Emily Kentner, I loved her to death. Emily fixed a whole ice chest full of chicken salad for the Tea, and we all got into it ahead of time. Edith and Sonny Shelton - Sonny was very artistic and always helped in the kitchen with the Tea. Ginny Anthony was a national Betty Crocker award winner and she and Sonny, who had never won anything, were always in competition in the kitchen.”
And her most unique silent auction item? “We were all working sorting items and someone had given us a beautiful silver pitcher. It desperately needed cleaning so I started polishing. I looked inside, saw a dead mouse, and yelled, ‘the church mouse is dead, long live the cat!’ We all had a good laugh over that.” Over the years the silent auction and later the white elephant sale became a family affair. Marge’s two daughters Lynn and Cindy have teamed with their mother to make the sale a success, and last year Marge’s grandson, Thomas and his fiancée, Lisa helped.
“I just love the church and that’s all I can say. I love everything about it. I think of them all as my family. Homer and I were the first ones to start the new building with a challenge gift and the challenge was met in no time, because at that time there were no Sunday school rooms. Homer was the church photographer. He also started the church library.” They named the Barrett Room at St. Mary’s after Homer and Marge. “I would instigate a project and Homer would take it on. We were a good team – for 54 years.”
It was an evening of celebration with eleven of the former Tour of Homes Chairs in attendance: Joyce Gibson (1976), Teena Davant (1985, 1989, 1990), Susie Greene (1989, 1990), Marge Barrett (1991, 1992, 1993), Bobby Ball (1991, 1992), Ginny Yates (1996), Mary Ellen Raulerson (2001, 2002), Iris Caldwell (2003, 2004), Pat Fountain (2005, 2006), Jean Brooks (2007, 2008), and Becky Johnson (2007, 2008).
In the 50 year history of the tour, 242 private properties have been graciously opened to the public for the Tour of Homes and over half a million dollars has been raised for regional charitable organizations.
The 50th Annual St. Mary of the Hills Blowing Rock Tour of Homes is scheduled for Friday, July 25, 2008. Tickets for the tour are $25 each and may be purchased at the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, at the church office, or on the church lawn the day of the tour.