CRANFORD, NJ — The Cranford Woman’s Club is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee – its 75th anniversary. And it has also recently announced its 35th Home for the Holidays House Tour. This year, there will be seven beautifully decorated historic homes to view on Sunday, Dec. 8, from noon to 4 p.m.
Julia Corbett Davis, a member of CWC and on the committee for the Home for the Holidays House Tour, is also a home coordinator for the tour. “I run all the tours,” she said. “I train all the tour guides. I help create and craft the stories. As a tour guide, you give them back history. People will have some antiques and relics in their homes.”
Also, this year, her house is the hospitality house. Attendees will first go to the hospitality house, where they can have some tea and receive their book with the map.
To protect the homeowners’ privacy, addresses can’t be released, but they are all within walking distance from one another, according to Davis.
She said, “By touring some or all the houses, they’re really going to experience a sense of old Cranford. Many houses were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s.”
Holiday music will be playing in each house. There will be Christmas caroling and musicians. “A full Christmas and holiday experience,” said Davis. “The fun thing about this tour, it shows the spirit of the town of Cranford.”
The event is a fundraiser supporting scholarships, Cranford Family Care and CWC’s other philanthropic beneficiaries. According to Davis, last year, $35,000 was raised.
The Cranford Woman’s Club was founded in 1949. It’s a volunteer organization deeply committed to giving back to the community. The Holiday House Tour is the club’s largest annual fundraiser.
Throughout the year, CWC also hosts several major events, which include Witches Night Out, Sip ’n Shop and the Leprechaun Lunch. The club’s philanthropic efforts focus on supporting Cranford-based organizations such as Project Home, Cranford Family Care, the Cranford First Aid Squad and FLAG. The club meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at the VFW on South Avenue. All are welcome to attend.
Tickets for the Home for the Holidays House Tour, priced at $50, will be available online at Zeffy at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2024-cranford-womans-club-home-for-the-holidays-house-tour.
They are also available on the CWC’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CranfordWomansClub.
To get tickets locally, they are available in the following Cranford venues: Augusta Mae, Hickory & Hill, Periwinkles, The Curious Heart and the Cranford Library.
As a special bonus, the first 200 tickets sold will include a $5 gift card redeemable at select Cranford Downtown merchants. Eleven Cranford restaurants will offer a 10 percent discount to ticket holders on the day of the tour.
Photos Courtesy of Cranford Woman’s Club