The annual La Porte City Womens Club Tour of Homes will be held on Sunday, December 7, 2025 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. There are six homes on the tour including the following homes: Bridget Fuller, 102 Westridge Ct, Jeremy & Danielle Wolff, 607 Chestnut St, Phil & Kathy Norris, 507 Gates St, Mike & Kathy Strubel, 302 Bowers St, Terry & Julie Strutz, 7070 Gilbertville Rd and Eric & Paul Pecenka, 7320 Gilbertville Rd, all in La Porte City Buy Get your tickets in advance at the Old Stone Bistro or Cedar Valley Bank in La Porte City, or purchase them at the first house you visit. The cost of the tour is $10 and allows you to view all six homes. For those who don't want to make the 15-minute drive to the Sturtz and Pecenka Houses, the club has organized a bus to take you there. Chad Hansen's Funbus picks up riders at 3:45 and 5:15 p.m., takes them to the two houses on Gilbertville Road and drops them off again. If you would like to ride the bus, make a reservation at Old Stone Bistro before the event so we know how many people will be riding the bus. Be at the municipal parking lot (opposite the fire station) at your reserved time. The bus ride is free, but if you wish, you can tip Chad for his services.
Bridget Fullers' home at 102 Westridge Ct is a townhouse but feels much larger due to the open concept kitchen, dining room and living room. When Bridget bought the house, she did extensive renovations and even added an additional room. Her home, decorated for Christmas, contains the North Pole Christmas village she's always had. The house is decorated throughout with a variety of lights creating a warm and cozy feeling. Additionally, she has a simple tinsel tree that reminds us that the beauty of Christmas comes from one simple reason: time spent with our family and friends while remembering the reason for this season.
Jeremy and Dannielle Wolff purchased their home at 607 Chestnut St in 2022 and have been continually working on it. Dannielle's talent for decorating is evident throughout the house and her love of red. They added the fireplace in the dining room, which looks like it houses a collection of antique mirrors, but are they really antique? The old Victorian-style home's woodwork remains intact, and the Wolffs spend time continuing to maintain it while adding greenery, red ribbons and lights around the house at Christmas time.
Phil and Kathy Norris' home at 507 Gates St features an open dining/kitchen/living room, which is handy when hosting their entire family of 27. One of their most treasured possessions is their book, “The Night Before Christmas,” which they read to their first grandchild, Nick, when he was a baby. The lecture continued as more grandchildren arrived, and soon Nick took over reading the book to the younger grandchildren. Her grandchildren have even written special notes in the book over the years.
Mike and Kathy Strubel's home at 302 Bowers St encourages Mike's building skills and Kathy's sense of decorating. They have been the original owners of the house since 2018. Kathy has a very large one
She tries to expand her nutcracker collection every year by getting one that reminds her of Mike. Additionally, she owns two nutcrackers that she received in memory of her brothers, one of whom is a pirate and the other a cowboy. Check out the ladder that frames the seven grandchildren in the hallway of the Strubel home. Family pictures can be seen on the top ladder. This ladder is the very first ladder Mike had when he started his construction company. Note the white scarf that was wrapped around the ladder that belonged to Kathy's late mothers, and the scarf reminds them that she is still with them. Check out Strubel's master bedroom with the cozy Christmas duvet. It's as soft and cozy as it looks.
Well worth the short drive to Terry and Julie Sturtz's home at 7070 Gilbertville Rd. The Sturtz home has a reading nook on the second floor and a private guest room, which Julie says is more like an apartment. Terry bought the house and Julie saw it for the first time on moving day when they decided to move back to Iowa from Arizona in 2021. The entire house has a variety of windows through which you can see the surrounding forests at any time of the year. Julie's daughter and granddaughter claim that Julie has over 50 small and large trees in the house her daughter Teresa is building. Since the purchase, the Sturtz's have also planted 21 trees on the property. Note the little red truck and RV under the Strutz tree in the living room.
Half a mile down the road is Eric and Paula Pencenka's home at 7320 Gilbertville Rd. In March 2023, the Pecenka home was a total loss in a house fire. They rebuilt the house on the original foundation and Paula statues; They were allowed to remodel the house the way they imagined. It is an open plan home with a kitchen/dining/living room and lots of windows overlooking the surrounding trees. Paula decorates all year round but especially enjoys Christmas. In the hallway is an original Pecenka sign with a capital “P,” one of the few items that survived the fire. Ask the Pecenkas to point out the small tree that one of the neighbors gave them as a welcome gift when they moved in on December 12th. The fireplace with the TV above it and the carefully hung stockings make you want to make yourself comfortable and enjoy the warmth of the season. The Pecenkas have 4 rescue dogs. Friends, family and dogs are always welcome in their home.
And so you don't have to worry about dinner, you can enjoy soup before, during or after the home tour at the Volunteer Donation Soup Dinner sponsored by the Little Knights Learning Center. The soup dinner will be held at the LPC Community Center at 300 1st St, La Porte City. The menu includes soups, baked goods, breads and hot cocoa from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This house tour will definitely be worth it this year as there are more houses than ever before, many with an abundance of lights and the warmth of the season. Come enjoy the 2025 LPC Womens Club Home for the Holidays Tour of Homes. All fundraisers the Women's Club undertakes return to the community in the form of donations and scholarships.
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