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Home & Chef Tour 2017 spotlights lovely properties, local chefs
10th annual event clothes
hundreds of Clatsop County
schoolchildren
INFO BOX
What: Home & Chef Tour
When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14
Sponsored by: Assistance League of the
Columbia Pacific
Cost: $30
Tickets available at: Holly McHone Jewel-
ers, 1150 Commercial St., Astoria; Columbia
Bank locations in Astoria, Warrenton and
Seaside; also available at the tour locations
in Warrenton
By WILLIAM HAM
FOR COAST WEEKEND
B
y any metric, the 10th annual Assistance
League Home & Chef Tour promises to
be rewarding for everyone involved.
For the architecturally inclined, a $30 ticket
buys the opportunity to tour six of the area’s
loveliest properties. The culinary-minded have
the chance to sample the fare of fine local
restaurants. The homeowners and the chefs get
to show off their wares.
And most importantly, the Assistance
League of the Columbia Pacific — who have
organized the event every October since 2008
— gets to help clothe hundreds of less-for-
tunate schoolchildren throughout Clatsop
County.
“This year’s theme is ‘Houses in Clatsop
Plains and Warrenton,’ which we’ve never
done before,” said Mary Davies, the League
member in charge of the project and the dozens
of volunteers — from the “heads of home” that
serve as guides to the local florists providing
special arrangements at each location — who
make it happen.
With an eye to a fresh experience, Davies
and her team have not only found a new clutch
of homes to visit, but — with the exception of
the Fort George Brewery and Public House —
all of the restaurants involved are participating
for the first time.
“We like to mix things up,” said Sally
LaCoste, president of the local charter of the
Assistance League.
Property listing
This year’s houses are:
• Warren home: Built in 1885 for the
Oregon pioneer Daniel Knight Warren (War-
renton’s namsake), this restored Queen Anne
Victorian currently sits on two acres surround-
ed by sculptured gardens with a view across
Youngs Bay toward the Columbia River. The
home features five bedrooms and three baths
with numerous built-ins and was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
• Zunkel home: Originally built as a “starter
home” in 1988, this lakefront house has been
expanded into a 3,500-square-foot, five-bed-
room, three-and-a-half-bath home, with
custom tile, granite and woodwork throughout,
a two-story stone fireplace, complete mother-
in-law suite, ample outdoor living space with
fireplace, lakefront boardwalk and dock.
• Kirby home: Designed and constructed
in the American Craftsman style popularized
ON THE TOUR
SUBMITTED PHOTO
An artist’s rendering of the Warren Home. Built in 1885 for the Oregon Pioneer Daniel Knight
Warren (Warrenton’s namesake), the property will be part of this year’s Home & Chef Tour.
in the 1860s, this home features 4,800 square
feet of living space, four bedrooms, three-and-
a-half baths, and two expansive living rooms,
one of which includes a completely restored
traditional parlor-style Steinway grand piano
from the turn of the 20th century.
• Bacon home: Built in 1966 in the Amer-
ican Craftsman style, this 3,000-square-foot
home stands overlooking Smith Lake and is
perhaps best known for its Asian-influenced
landscaping and as a destination for local
garden tours for more than a decade.
• Brown home: Completed in 2008, this
Craftsman-style house sits on ten acres at
the end of Perkins Lane in the Clatsop Plains
area and boasts an expansive garden, a large
chicken coop and a meticulously detailed inte-
rior, painstakingly restored to its original state
following a 2012 house fire.
• The Chateau at Camp Rilea: Built be-
tween 1935 and 1937, the Chateau is known
as “The Jewel in the Crown” of Camp Rilea.
Situated on a quiet site at the end of Sunset
Lake, it is constructed of unpainted exterior
logs, without dormers, and windows trimmed
in white. With accommodations for 10, it has
been traditionally occupied by the camp’s
commanding officer while in camp.
This last location qualifies as something
of a coup. “Most people never get a chance to
see the Chateau,” Davies said. “Unless you’re
in the military, of course. So that’s pretty
exciting.”
For the kids
All of this is in the service of a great cause.
“Operation School Bell is the main program
of the Assistance League chapters throughout
the nation,” LaCoste said. With the support
of local clothiers, the program helps provide
school clothes — from coats and shoes to
socks and underwear — to students of all ages
in five school districts: Jewell, Knappa, Asto-
ria, Warrenton and Seaside.
From assisting a relatively modest 70 kids its
first year, the program has grown tremendously.
• Warren Home, 107 N.E. Skipanon Drive,
Warrenton; food by Warrenton Deep Sea
Market; flowers by Bloomin Crazy Floral
• Zunkel Home, 1236 S.W. Pine Drive, War-
renton; food by Mo’s Restaurants; flowers
by Erickson Floral Co.
• Kirby Home, 1158 S.W. Pine Drive, War-
renton; food by Clemente’s Cafe and Public
House; flowers by Bloomin Crazy Floral
• Bacon Home, 92076 Whiskey Lane, War-
renton; food by El Compadre; flowers by
Erickson Floral Co.
• Brown Home, 33861 Perkins Lane, War-
renton; food by Fort George Brewery and
Public House; flowers by Mimi’s Flowers
and Gifts
• Chateau at Camp Rilea, S. Oregon Street,
Warrenton; food by Dough Dough Bakery;
flowers by Mimi’s Flowers and Gifts
“Last school year, we clothed 692 kids, the
most we’ve ever done,” LaCoste said. Oper-
ation School Bell’s success has led to further
programs from the local League: Cinderel-
la’s Closet lends out prom and homecoming
dresses free of charge; the School Participa-
tion Program helps cover the cost of fees and
equipment for extracurricular activities for
middle and high school students in need; and
the Duffel Bag Program provides clothing and
personal items to children entering foster care.
But Operation School Bell remains the
Assistance League’s cornerstone, and Mary
Davies anticipates this year’s Home & Chef
Tour will be their most successful yet.
“It’s a really fun way to spend the day,” she
said, “and you’ll be able to help kids through-
out the county feel good about themselves and
fit in with the rest of the kids. It’s a wonderful
thing.” CW