Woman's Club to host Holiday House Tour
By Mary Shane Contributing Writer

Westborough - The Westborough Woman's Club Holiday House Tour will be held Saturday Dec. 8 from 1 to 4 p.m. Three homes and one church are featured this year, and each will have a hostess, the homeowner or parishioners to answer questions. Each ticket holder will get directions to the homes and church, a description of each building and refreshments.

Reggie Mead, member of the Woman's Club, and her husband, Len, are opening up their home for the tour for the third time.

"It's fun," Len said. "We get to decorate the place. It's Christmas: it involves Christmas decorations, Christmas presents, Christmas wreaths."

The event gives the Meads the opportunity to showcase the work they've done on their home.

"We've done a lot of renovations and we have a brochure," Len said. "We bought the place when it was very tired and very old in terms of needing renovations. This gives us a chance to look back, meet some new people."

Built in 1719, the Meads' house originally belonged to Captain John Maynard, head of the guns and munitions, according to Len.

"He was also very much involved with the first church," Len said. "His wealth came from his wife. The house was originally located north of Route 9, on 800 acres of his wife's estate. It's the third or fourth oldest house in Westborough."

Marilyn and Jerry Lyle's house is also on the tour.

"We were very pleased to offer our home when [we were] asked by a couple of ladies of the [Congregational] Church," Marilyn said. "[We thought] it would be very nice because we live in Orchard Hills Condominiums for Active Adults."

She added that her home was built recently, rather than being one of the older homes on the tour.

"We were asked to be on the tour because of the Navajo artifacts and the paintings of [my husband] Jerry's mother," Marilyn said. "She was a painter so we have lots of room to display the paintings."

The Lyles lived on a Navajo reservation for 11 years and also have Hopi artifacts on display.

"Jerry and I will be in the home, we will be able to answer questions, which will be fun," she said.

Tickets can be ordered by calling Judy Wilchynski at 508-870-1895, Ruth Roberts at 508-836-4263 or Nancy Walker at 508-898-9476. Tickets are $20 per person; children under 12 are not allowed on the tour. Tickets can be picked up at the Evangelical Congregational Church Dec. 8 after 12:30 p.m. Refreshments for all ticket holders will be at the vestry of the Evangelical Congregational Church, West Main Street, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

All proceeds will finance community projects and scholarships provided by the Westborough Woman's Club.