This year during all of the wonderful Christmas events being held in Winside on Saturday, Dec. 6, the community is also having a Tour of Homes.
Included in the tour are five homes and an open house for the FFA agricultural business class, highlighting their student-led businesses.
The FFA Open House will be held at the Winside Public School (203 Crawford Ave.) in the new shop area. It will be held from noon to 2 p.m. which is a different time than the Tour of homes. During the Open house, guests will be able to visit each of the students' businesses and purchase their items on the spot. Student led businesses are HMS Braiding Company, Bullseye Custom Woodworking, AJ’s Snack Shack, Backroad Blooms, Ray's Custom Coasters, Bubbles N' Bliss, Toppcandleco., Liz's Jellies and Jams and Gooeygals.
Items available for sale will be Christmas wreathes, Christmas goodies, animal halters, and leashes, Cornhole boards and many other items.
The following homes will be on the Tour of Homes from 1 to 4 p.m.
Bill and Pat Burris have Guest House 2 located at 312 Hunter Street. The Burrises bought this house 13 years ago from the Jensen family. The house was built between 1890-1910. Since purchasing the house, the Burrises have done a lot of updates and renovations.
The Guest House 2 is available to rent. The house has an upstairs and a downstairs rental. Each rental accommodates two guests and has one bedroom and one full bathroom. The rentals also have a kitchen, living room, and laundry facilities all on the same floor. The upstairs rental has the original oak floors and beautiful woodwork they have brought back to their original state. The downstairs rental was completely demolished in the spring of 2019 due to severe flooding. The basement was completely rebuilt. The house will be decorated for Christmas by friends Fabi Vazquez and her son Rey.
The John and Nancy Thies home is located at 401 Hunter Street. This is possibly one of the first homes built in Winside. Nancy describes their home as "an old farmhouse that does not have a farm." It was built sometime around the 1890-1900’s. The home has a lot of history in it. John has done a lot of renovations, updating and additions to the original home. While working on the home John found papers in the walls dated back to 1898.
When guests come for the tour, they will experience the “cozy cabin” feeling. The home will be decorated with many antiques from their family. Their children and grandchildren are very important to them and many ornaments made by them through the years will be on display. They have many ornaments from their loved ones, especially John’s mother, Eva Thies. She made handmade beaded ornaments for all the children and grandchildren, and they will be on display.
The Brian and Michelle Petzoldt home is located at 309 Hunter Street. The original house was built in 1963 by Fritz and Amanda Dimmel. They were friends with Michelle’s grandparents. The Petzolds bought the home on July 12, 1996. Brian and Michelle wanted to raise their children in the small community of Winside where Michelle grew up. When they bought the house their daughter Morgan was two and a half years old and Courtney was 17 months. They remodeled most of the house except for the original kitchen cabinets. On March 21, 2024, Brian and Michelle escaped a devastating fire with only their dog, Simba. They lived in a motel for two months and then rented a house.
Since the fire, they have completely rebuilt their “new” home. They are so thankful for everyone for their prayers, love, and support after the fire. Michelle said they are so blessed, thankful, and proud to be a part of such a caring community. They are excited to celebrate the holidays back in their home. They could not have done this without their children Morgan(Steven) and Courtney who have been there every step of the way. The guests will enjoy their new house and especially their favorite room in the house; the family room in the basement decorated in Husker and International décor.
The Jon and Sheila Jaeger home is located at 84921 568th Ave. The original home was built in 1984 and is Jon’s childhood home. They bought the home two years ago from Jon’s parents, Ernie and Diane Jaeger. The home is a four-bedroom ranch. The Jaegers have made changes and renovations since moving into the home. They are hoping people on the tour will enjoy seeing the changes they have made. The home will be decorated with multiple Christmas trees and all of the family decorations.
The Zach and Jordyn Brokaw home is located at 56418 854th Road. They moved back to the Winside area in 2019 and wanted to build their forever home. They purchased 3.5 acres of land from Jordyn’s grandparents Den and Lois Bowers and started building their “Shouse” (half shed, half house) in 2020. The Brokaw’s built most of the home by themselves. They did their own electrical, sheet rocking, painting, cabinet installation, staining and door installations. They also laid their own hardwood flooring and carpet. In October 2021, when most of the work was done, they moved into their home. The Brokaws will have almost every room in their home decorated for Christmas.
The cost for the tour is twenty dollars with proceeds going into the account for future Christmas lighting and activities in the village. Tickets may be purchased in advance at Thies Locker, and the Winside Farmers Co-Op. Tickets will also be sold on the day of the event at the Winside Auditorium.
