The curious are invited to come out Saturday and view some of Midland's most spectacular homes for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Simcoe's annual Showcase of Homes Tour.
"This is our signature fundraiser," said Haylie Taylor, fundraising and community development coordinator for BBBS North Simcoe.
"It's our 25th year of running the Showcase of Homes Tour. It's one of our fundraisers that really supports our agency because we don't have any reliable government funding. We rely on the community through donations and sponsorships," Taylor said.
Last year was the first year back to the tour after COVID. The homes are different each year, so people who attended the tour last year will see different places this year.
There are six homes and one "bonus" home on the tour across Midland and Tiny Township. They include some renovated homes and some waterfront cottages.
Originally the home tour showcased all multi-million dollar homes. In recent years, they added the bonus home to showcase a smaller or different style of living such as a retirement condominium or a vacation rental home.
All the homes have style.
"It gives people ideas on what they can do to their own house," said Taylor.
Carol Lavoie of Midland has her home on Little Lake on the tour for the first time.
"It's such a great cause. It's pretty important in Midland. It's very important in every city," Lavoie said. "And because people are nosy and they like looking in other people's houses."
Lavoie and her husband, Jonathan Hackett, have been living on the original Shewfelt property since May 2021. Since then, they have completely renovated the bungalow and rebuilt the guest cottage on the property.
BBBS of North Simcoe runs four fundraisers a year, but does not run the Bowl for Kids or Curl for Kids events anymore.
This year, for the first time, they ran Megabike, the 30-person bicycle that used to be used by the Heart and Stroke Foundation. It was successful, said Taylor, so it will come back next year.
Holiday Survivor is a team event in November/December. Teams of six each get their names in a draw, but if your name is drawn, you are eliminated. The goal is to have a team member be the last name pulled. The winning team wins gift certificates to LCBO.
"That's a really fun and successful one," said Taylor.
The last one is the Big Drop. It's done at Easter and Morden Construction lifts and drops plastic Easter eggs from an excavator. Which ever one lands closest to the target is the winner.
Funds from the events support the programs including:
- One-to-one mentoring program with youth. This is the traditional program, where a young person is matched with an adult.
- Group mentoring programs - Go Girls and Game On for youth between the ages of 11 and 14. They encourage physical and emotional health.
- Big Bunch programs. They are social events that bring together unmatched children and adults, where they can get to know each other and make a match.
- Teen mentoring. This program matches high-school students with elementary pupils for homework help.
- School-based mentoring. This program has an adult go into a school to work with a student for an hour a week. BBBS North Simcoe is currently working with six schools and has more on the waiting list. "We just really need mentors for that one," said Taylor.
Tickets for the self-guided tour are $50 and include a $10 voucher for a local restaurant. The tour runs Saturday only from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
All the homes have a floral arrangement that will be raffled off at the end of the day. Raffle tickets are $5 cash at the homes or six for $20.
Tickets are being sold at:
- Big Brothers Big Sisters North Simoce office: Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Fridays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. – 366 Midland Ave., Suite E3 – cash and email transfer only.
- Remax Georgian Bay Realty office: 833 King St., Midland
- Saturday Afternoons: Monday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. – 225 King St., Midland
- Arbour’s Flower Shoppe: Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. – 89 Main St., Penetanguishene – cash only.
