Decorators Show House Open Through October 29
SALISBURY, MD----The Lower Shore's first Decorators Show House has opened its doors, with the three weekends of house tours and fun events benefiting the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra at Salisbury State University.
Area designers spent weeks transforming the house at 1308 Camden Avenue into a showcase for their decorating talents, with each designer tackling a room, space or garden spot. All of the furnishings, decorative items and plants used to dress up the house are for sale, with a portion of the proceeds going to support the activities of the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra.
The Show House is open October 12-15, October 19-22 and October 26-29. Hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays, and Sundays, noon-5 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are sold at the door. A light lunch is available.
"The Decorators Show House fund-raiser will make it possible for the SSO to present four concerts this year instead of two," says Dr. Thomas G. Elliot, SSO conductor and music director. In addition to the December 2 Holiday Concert and the May 11, 2001, Spring Concert, SSO will have a special children's performance of "Peter and the Wolf" November 19 and a Bruckner concert February 4, 2001. Orchestra patrons will pay the same for four concerts as they did for two.
The house, formerly owned by the Allen family, is one of Salisbury's most distinguished homes and a fine example of Eastern Shore architecture. The Allen family once owned most of the property on which Salisbury State University is now located, and their home dates to the 1920s, the decade of the campus' founding. The University became owner of the house last year and immediately made plans to turn it into a Decorator Show House to benefit the SSO.
"We have pictures in each room showing the before appearance, which will be interesting to see," said Jane Ellen Mengason, chair of the event. "It gives you an opportunity to see some great decorating ideas from the many talented designers in our area, and you have the option to buy everything that you see."
When the Show House is open for tours, docents are stationed throughout the house to answer questions. The docents are orchestra players, members of the SSO's Community Advisory Board, and other SSO supporters, all eager to do their part to make this fund-raiser a success.
The Show House features an artisan boutique in the garage called Artistic Rhythms; the Second Stanza, a sale of gently used items to benefit the Salisbury Symphony Affiliated Youth Symphony Orchestra; and Raffle Rhapsodies, a raffle of decorative items.
For information on the Decorators Show House, please call 410-543-6209 or check out the Web site at www.salisbury.edu/showhouse/.