MARION —  Hundreds of people walked through Marion Village and to tour five homes that were decked out for the holidays on Saturday, Dec. 9, as part of  the Sippican Woman’s Club’s 33rd annual Holiday House Tour. 

This was the first time the tour has been held since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

A display was set up inside the Woman’s Club building to showcase the history of the club, which is celebrating 100 years of incorporation in 2023. 

The display showed many documents and pictures from the last century, including the original clubhouse mortgage papers. 

Each house contained a plethora of holiday-themed decorations. Houses were either decorated by the homeowner or local florists. Decorations on display were available for purchase in certain houses. 

According to Sippican Woman’s Club Treasurer Lee Williamson, over 500 tickets were sold to the event. 

“People are very gracious in this town to open up their homes for people to tour,” said Williamson. “We have been very fortunate.” 

Each year, different houses are used on the Holiday House Tour, said Sippican Woman’s Club Historian Jeanne Bruen, who has been a member for 20 years. 

“The house tour started in 1986 and it has remained very close to its original roots,” said Bruen.  “There has always been five or six houses on the tour.”

“A committee will go to homes and tour them and we connect homeowners with florists to plan [the] decorating,” said Williamson.

Living rooms and kitchens were dressed in red and green or blue and white decor including wreaths, ribbons, and glassware. 

Money raised by the event is used for scholarships given to Marion residents pursuing college degrees or donated to local charities. Bruen said the club has been giving out scholarships since the 1940s.

Club members and student volunteers from Bishop Stang High School, Old Rochester Regional High School and Tabor Academy helped guide guests through each home on the tour. 

“It is really nice to bring this event back, the town has been very receptive to it,” said Williamson. “It is so rewarding. We really do put a lot of work into this and it is gratifying to see our community support us and their students.”