Candlelight tour a success

Yesterday was the 25th annual "Candlelight Tour of Homes" here in beautiful Eureka Springs. This year, the library was on the tour, along with one church, four Bed & Breakfasts, and nine houses. Since I work on Saturdays at the library, I got to dress in Victorian style and visit with many people participating in the tour. The tour benefits the Preservation Society and it is their biggest fund raiser.

The weather was gorgeous, in the upper fifties, and the feeling was very festive. Many of the visitors even dressed Victorian and there were bands and choirs spaced along the tour to add Christmas music and cheer to the event. Eureka Springs is the perfect town for an event like this, with all the different styles of architecture from the Victorian era. It will be interesting to see how the town changes once there are new condos for sale right next to the Crescent Hotel, which is one of the oldest hotels in town. I am anxious to see how the two coexist and how the change effects the town, if at all.

Mystery and Whimsy

I think the two best words to describe Eureka Springs are mysterious and whimsical. We have been walking around town and the surrounding neighborhoods for two months now since we moved here. We are still amazed by the mysteries we discover every time we are out.

For instance, there is a street in town called Flint Street with only one house on the block. But, when you take a closer look down in the hollow, you can see remnants of stone walls and staircases all down the street. I did a bit of research and found out that there used to be a hotel there and I think it burned down in the early 1900's. There are things like this all over town. There are stairways that lead up to very old roads that are no longer in service and old wooden walkways and bridges... very mysterious and very cool. Kind of makes you feel like a detective and you want to figure out what was there and the stories behind it all.

There are many aspects of the town that can be described as "whimsical." First of all, the whole orientation of the town and the steep, narrow, winding streets that seem to have no rhyme or reason. You feel like you are exploring just when you drive or walk around the historic loop. There are houses perched up on limestone walls twenty feet above street level. The residents must climb two flights of stairs to reach their front door. You look at those houses and you think, "Wow, who would build a house up there?" Then you realize that those houses are all over 100 years old and they are still there and have even been kept up or remodeled after all these years. Simply beautiful.

And then we have the springs. All over town, you can find the old "healing springs" that started this town back in the 1880's. They all have gorgeous gardens surrounding them and each one is unique. Some have little gates, benches, fountains, or even gazebos by them. I am very impressed that the springs have been kept up as well as they have, especially since they are no longer drinkable or used for bathing like in the old days.

Anyway, I could go on and on, but I will end for now.
Until next time...