Viva Cuba's Yuletide Tour Sunday, December 6 - Cuba, MO

The wreaths are being hung in preparation for Viva Cuba's Yuletide Tour.

The 2009 Viva Cuba Yuletide Tour of homes and businesses continues the holiday season after Saturday’s Chamber of Commerce Parade. The Sunday, December 6 event from 1:00-5:00 pm finds many businesses and some noteworthy homes on this year’s tour. For discounts, decorating ideas, and good food, this year’s tour has it all.

Carolyn Sanazaro’s Victorian-style home on Hwy.PP was built in 2004 although it reflects an earlier 1900s time period. Carolyn likes to keep her Christmas traditions in keeping with the house’s early historic style, so she uses traditional Christmas colors. She has two trees and her ornaments are ones that she gave her children every year since their birth and ones that she purchased while traveling. When she built her house, she said the best idea that she had was to build a “Christmas closet,” where she can keep her tree decorated and move it in and out when she needs to. She and her girls always bake their Christmas sugar cookies. She begins playing Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving and into January.

Christy Moreland’s coral stucco home, built in 2005, is also in the neighborhood of her sister Carolyn’s. She has three trees, the main tree, an angel tree, and the family tree with a photo of every family member. She has family ornaments dating back to 1989 and some ornaments from her kids. Her kids help her put the lights on the tree when she decorates. She too bakes Christmas sugar cookies during the holidays, and enjoys Christmas music and movies.

The First Baptist Church’s House of Rest at at 508 Myrtle Street is maintained for visiting missionaries and pastors, and the community donated the furnishings. Church members do the Christmas decorating, so the house will reflect multiple decorating styles.

The Crawford County Historical Museum at 308 N. Smith (1 to 5 pm) will be decked out for the holidays, and they will serve Cuban Coffee and pound cake from the Society’s Historical Cookbook. This will be a good time to see the latest exhibits and to visit the nearby Veterans Memorial and reflect on sacrifices of our troops during the holidays.

Wallace House (1 to 4:30 pm), on historic Rt. 66, was built as a private residence in 1885 and became the Methodist Church in 1928. It is again privately owned and used for many special events. Visit for a guided tour of this beautifully restored gem.

This year also features many area businesses on the tour.

Viva Cuba welcomes Connie’s Shoppe at the Wagon Wheel Motel (10 am to 7 pm) at 901 E. Washington to this year’s tour. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building, constructed of native Ozark stone, was the popular Wagon Wheel Café until the 1950s, and the new owner Connie Echols is busy completing a renovation of the building. The Wagon Wheel Motel has been a continuously operating Rt. 66 motel since the 1930s. While on the tour, sign up for the drawing and notice the original rock fireplace and the hardwood floor with its intricate pattern.

Always ‘n Bloom’s Flowers & Gifts (1-5 pm) at 301 N. Franklin will feature seasonal decorations and offer a drawing for a gift basket. With the purchase of one Christmas ornament, you can get a second one of equal or lesser value.

The Main Street Bakery and Café (1-5:00 pm) is a beautifully restored, mural adorned 100-year old building. Stop in and sign up for a special drawing. Now run by well-known Cuba cook Terry Campbell, there will definitely be something cooking in the kitchen.

The Fanning 66 Outpost General Store (1-5 pm), 4 miles west of Cuba on Rt. 66, offers many lodge-style gifts and practical items for those on your list. Be sure to take a photo of the World’s Largest Rocking Chair while you are there. The Outpost has a taxidermy shop, indoor archery range, Rt. 66 souvenirs, and their own Route 66 Red wine. Shop and get 10% off.

This was the rocker decked out for Christmas in 2008.

A Lasting Impression (1-5 pm) at 310 E. Washington specializes in memorable gifts and arrangements. Stop by and enter the drawing for a free Christmas centerpiece that will leave a “lasting impression” in your home.

Java.net Books & Gifts at 418. N. Franklin will be open from 11:00 until 4:00 pm. The Internet coffee house mirrors owner Mary Miller’s love of Christmas. See her “snowing” Christmas tree, taste the chicken salad on croissant special of the day, and sign up for the drawing for a basket of Christmas books. It is Mary’s second anniversary at Java.net so be sure to make this stop.

Three Mile Creek (1-5:00 pm) is located at 60 Christina Lane. This family business manufactures western, rustic, and log furniture using white and eastern red cedar and reclaimed oak that is over 100 years old. Make a purchase during the tour and get 20% off one item. If you haven’t been to Three Mile Creek, you are missing an experience.

Kelsey Holt Schmidt’s Creative Expressions Flowers & Gifts at 1013 Westside Drive (1 to 5 pm) next to Gale’s Avon is a new business on tour. This shop carries an eclectic line of purses, little girls’ hats and scarves as well as live and silk flower arrangements and local craft items. A 10% discount and drawings for merchandise make this an attractive stop.

Wildlife Unlimited at 702 S. Franklin Street (1-5:00 pm) is a taxidermy and sporting goods business with a portfolio of over 300 types of animal species. They have over 100 taxidermy mounts in their showroom, many displayed in a natural habitat style. During the tour, they will offer 10% off and have a special drawing.

Rustic, Victorian, Historic, Elegant: This year’s tour has it all. All proceeds will go to mural maintenance, lighting, and other beautification projects.

Ticket Information:

Tickets are $8.00 in advance and $10 the day of the tour Directions to all stops will be included. Tickets are available at Always‘n Bloom, Cuba Banking Center, First Community Bank, Java.net Books & Gifts, A Lasting Impression, Peoples Bank, Chamber Visitor Center, and Connie’s Shoppe at the Wagon Wheel Motel. Visit cubamomurals.com for more on Viva Cuba’s mural project. If you are interested in having your home on the 2010 Yuletide Tour of Homes, contact Kim Baldwin at 885-2511 or Tina McGinnis at 885-3524.