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| Holden House 1902 B&B Inn is a virtual display of holiday magic during the Christmas season. |
On Sunday, December 5th, 2010, Holden House 1902 Bed & Breakfast Inn, along with seven other Pikes Peak area bed and breakfast inns, participated in a bed & breakfast (B&B) charity tour with 465 tickets sold and raised over $4,100 for the Old Colorado City Historical Society. The participating B&B’s will each receive a Certificate of Appreciation Award from the Old Colorado City Historical Society for their efforts.
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| Innkeepers Sallie and Welling Clark welcomed guests in Victorian style for the 16th Annual B&B Holiday Tour |
The tour raised funds for restoration of the non-profit Historical Society’s newly acquired history center. Following the event, tour organizer, Jo Cervone, said, “We’re thrilled with the overwhelming response of public support for the history center project and the support of the innkeepers who generously gave of their time and homes. Attendance of over 465 contributors will allow our organization to continue restoration work of the center which contains a museum, research library and bookshop. We are very excited about continuing this as an annual event. The bookstore also reported excellent sales during the tour day.”
Local businesses supported the fund raising effort by donating time, volunteers, and their resources to promote the tour. The Old Colorado City Historical Society was assisted by B&B innkeepers and Society volunteers, in addition to the participating Pikes Peak area Bed & Breakfast Inns. This is an annual event which Holden House and Innkeeper Sallie Clark started in 1994 as the history center and the historical society were in their infancy. Today, the restored building and the Old Colorado City Historical Society are hallmarks of the well-known historic district in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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| Even Inn-Cats Mingtoy and Mei-Lin get into the holiday spirit and love the boxes of Christmas packages and decorations. |
The eight local bed & breakfast inns from Colorado Springs to Manitou Springs took extra time from their busy schedules to decorate early for the holiday tour and welcome guests into their homes. The spirit of the season was created to feature this year’s theme “A Few of Our Favorite Things”, complimenting Victorian elegance to Western flair. Each of the inns were dressed in holiday regalia for the event with garlands, handmade ornaments, Christmas trees decorated especially to each inn’s decor, and thousands of Christmas lights! The bed & breakfasts generously donated a gift certificate toward a bed & breakfast getaway.
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| The Clark’s nutcracker collection has been featured on local television stations and is well-known as a highlight of the Holiday B&B Tour |
The history center was built in 1890 as the First Baptist Church of Old Colorado City by architect Walter Farquhar Douglas. The History Center provides a museum featuring artifacts and bookshop was opened for refreshments and a B&B gift certificate drawing. The maintenance of the History Center is an ongoing effort to showcase the heritage of the area and continual contributions are necessary to fund the historical society. Membership information and direct donations may be sent to Old Colorado City Historical Society, 1 So. 24th Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904-3319.
Mark your calendars now for the 17th Annual Holiday Old Colorado City Bed & Breakfast Tour, tentatively scheduled for December 4th, 2011. Special Bed & Breakfast lodging/holiday tour packages will also be available for the event.
“This has become an annual tradition for not only the B&Bs in the Pikes Peak area and on the historic Westside of Colorado Springs, but for the many residents who take time out of the holiday rush to enjoy a moment to step back in time and get into the holiday spirit”, says Holden House Innkeeper and El Paso County Commissioner Sallie Clark.
The formal dining room is always set appropriately.
“Holden House has been participating since the tour’s first inception year and Welling and I are always excited to welcome the public into the inn this one day out of the year to see our beautiful Christmas decorations.” The Clark’s go all out for the Holden House decorations with a well-known nutcracker collection that graces the main parlor fireplace. Thousands of white lights, handmade ornaments, trees, garlands and wreaths in each of the three Victorian homes and family traditions are the hallmark of the Holden House’ holiday spirit. Gift Certificates are available for Christmas and holiday gifts and the inn is open all year to welcome guests. Holiday decorations will be up through January 3, 2011 for guests who want to stay or just drive by to view the outside lights and garlands at Holden House 1902 B&B Inn at 1102 W. Pikes Peak Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO.
Publicity for the Tour included the Gazette’s Fresh Ink, Fox 21 News (video), KOAA NewsFirst (video), The Colorado Springs Independent, KKTV, KKLI Radio and KRDO Radio, among others…