Enjoy the sights and sounds of an old-fashioned holiday celebration in Historic Albany, Oregon. This years tour will feature 6 historic homes which have been lovingly restored and beautifully decorated for the holidays. Along with the homes on tour, you may visit the Train House, Whitespires Church, The United Presbyterian Church, the Albany Regional Museum, the Monteith House Museum, the Carnegie Library, the Carousel Art Studio and Dentzel American Carousel Museum.

Entertainment includes:
• Gayle Clady on piano and Marsha Fisher on viola performing in costume.
• Mid-Valley Prelude Sinfonia
• The Monteith House Museum will be lit by oil lamp and fire light.
• Take a moment to enjoy the fire lit in the Carnegie Library. It is the only time all year this fireplace is used and it creates a soft warm glow that transcends time.

Trolley and Horse Drawn Wagon
Marks Ridge Percherons will take you through the Historic Monteith District Neighborhood tour and the vintage trolley will be making rounds as well.

Ticket Sales
Purchase your tickets at the Two Rivers Market located at 300 SW 2nd Ave in Historic Downtown Albany. ticket sales are inside the market right in front of the Albany Visitors Association so you can also follow the Visitor Information Signs to find your way. Ticket sales begin at 1pm and continue until 6pm. The tour hours are 2pm to 7pm. Music, refreshments, horse-drawn wagon rides, and vintage trolley rides are all included in the $10 ticket price ($8 for seniors and groups of 10 or more). Well-behaved children under 12 are admitted free with a paid adult.

Take Your Time
This tour is self-guided. You can tour the homes in any order you like. Spend as much or as little time at each location as suites you. Transportation is by your own vehicle, by horse drawn wagon and trolley. Several of the buildings are within walking distance of each other. Visitors usually take 3 to 4 hours sometimes more.

Special Events:
Sybaris will be hosting their annual Dickens Lunch – a very special lunch. This award winning restaurant is located in an historic commercial building. Reservations are required. For more information contact Matt Bennett owner of Sybaris 928-8157.

Albany Fitwalkers will hold 5k/10k walk in conjunction with the tour. Participants are given a discount for tour tickets. The walk start time is 1pm-4pm, finish at 7pm. For more information call: 541-926-7890 or visit: www.albanyfitwalkers.org

Author/illustrator Alice Cotton, When Buildings Speak will be featured for a reading and book signing at the Oregon Language arts center, 237 3rd Ave SW, for more information call 541-928-8975.

Find unique gifts in antique & specialty stores. Taste holiday treats in one of the many eateries in Historic Downtown Albany. Many of the downtown shops and restaurants will be open on tour day

The Christmas Parlour Tour is put on by Albany’s Historical Interior Tour Committee. It was created by a group of friends and neighbors to share the past through the architecture of historic dwellings.

Be sure to mark your calendar for the Summer Tour of Historic Homes and Buildings, held the last Saturday of July each year. The 33rd Annual Summer Tour will be held July 31, 2010