Home for the Holidays: Sippican Woman’s Club continues House Tour tradition
Carolers entertain guests as they pick up their tour booklets. Photos by Mari Huglin
From left to right: Dayvie Zuckerman (Old Rochester senior), Quinn Perry (Old Rochester senior), Michelle Humphrey, Elmire Arsenault (Bishop Stang junior) and Lucas Brum (Bishop Stang junior) volunteer at one of the houses. 
One caroler is dressed in classic caroling garments.
One of the houses on the tour.
One group smiles for a photo as they continue onto the next house.
The tour began at Handy's Tavern, where the Sippican Woman's Club is housed.
Another one of the houses on the tour.
The street is preparing for the House Tour and the Marion Stroll event.
One group is about to enter another house on the tour.
Carolers entertain guests as they pick up their tour booklets. Photos by Mari Huglin
From left to right: Dayvie Zuckerman (Old Rochester senior), Quinn Perry (Old Rochester senior), Michelle Humphrey, Elmire Arsenault (Bishop Stang junior) and Lucas Brum (Bishop Stang junior) volunteer at one of the houses.
One caroler is dressed in classic caroling garments.
One of the houses on the tour.
One group smiles for a photo as they continue onto the next house.
The tour began at Handy's Tavern, where the Sippican Woman's Club is housed.
Another one of the houses on the tour.
The street is preparing for the House Tour and the Marion Stroll event.
One group is about to enter another house on the tour.
MARION — Every December for the past 40 years, residents across Marion have welcomed the community into their homes as part of the Sippican Woman’s Club’s annual Holiday House Tour, bringing the holiday season into full swing.
The Club hosted their 40th annual holiday House Tour on Saturday, Dec. 13, including a Christmas Tea in the afternoon and a gathering at the Yacht Club in the evening.
Sarah Preston, the assistant treasurer of the Club, believes it is the center of Marion’s holiday traditions.
“I think it's really the bedrock of all the holiday events because it crosses a lot more space than some [other events],” Preston said. She said that the House Tour seems to anchor other events around it like the Marion Stroll and Greens Sale.
The Holiday House Tour brings together all of Marion, with houses across town open for tours. Participants pick up maps and information at Handy’s Tavern — now home to the Sippican Woman’s Club — then set off to tour decorated homes.
Last year, all the homes were in the village, so participants could walk to each one. This year, they were more spread out across Marion, which enabled a more inclusive environment according to Preston.
“I love seeing everyone outside in the village because that for me shows community … the village is alive and I love that,” said Club President Tara Calabrese.
Calabrese said that the Woman’s Club used to reach out to homeowners asking if they could show off their houses — now, there is a waitlist for residents eager to participate.
Having been around since the 1980s, the House Tour is the Woman’s Club main fundraiser for the year.
All profits are donated to separate causes, including scholarships for students going to college and donations to the police department, Council on Aging and food pantries. The member dues support the operation for the Woman’s Club.
“Our charity goes to everybody, [which is] what I like about it,” said Preston.
Elmire Arsenault and Lucas Brum are juniors from Bishop Stang High School who volunteered during the House Tour. They said they looked forward to meeting new people and spreading holiday cheer.
“Both of us love giving back to our community and we love doing service that's fun and that also happens to fit our personalities and something that we like to do,” Arsenault said.
Arsenault and Brum loved the community the House Tour builds, particularly between women. Arsenault explained that the House Tour and Women’s Club is a place women can come meet and support each other, especially during the busy holiday season.
Brum said he liked seeing all the decorations and how the houses were designed.
“I love seeing all of the vintage accents … I think it's beautiful to see how people still have those elements for their house,” he said.
Calabrese reiterated that the House Tour is special because of “the sense of community that it brings.”
