RIDGWAY – The Ridgway Heritage Council’s annual Historic House Tour, which was held Sept. 24, set a new attendance record, according to organizers. In the group’s 20-year history, house tours usually attracted between 150 and 200 attendees. This year’s tour featuring 17 historic homes sold 389 tickets.
“I think these results were a combination of the sheer number of fabulous homes on the tour, the open-house format, and very strong publicity around our region. Visitors came from as far away as Pittsburgh, Erie and Buffalo, and they just could not believe Ridgway’s tremendous Hyde-Murphy woodworking heritage. It is definitely something to be proud of,” stated board member and tour organizer Dale Fox.
Contributing to this success was the serendipitous timing of the event on the same day as Ridgway’s Fall Festival, organized by the Elk County Chamber of Commerce; Mother Nature also delivered perfect weather. Tina Clancy works for the chamber and also serves on the Heritage Council board, and was definitely the busiest person in Ridgway on the day of the tour and festival.
“Dale and I thought we might sell around 25 more tickets on the day of the tour, because we had already sold hundreds – including 100 online sales. We kept 50 for the Welcome Center that day, and by 11 a.m., we sold out and had to print another 50 on-the-spot,” shared Clancy. “It just never stopped! The combination was so powerful that the decision to schedule these two events on the same day in 2017 was a no-brainer.”
The Heritage Council extends their appreciation to the 17 homeowners, the more than 50 volunteers, and the four ticket outlets, Cliffes, Welcome Center, Village Peddler and Lindberg Furniture, which made this Ridgway event possible.
All proceeds are utilized to fulfill the mission of the Ridgway Heritage Council, supporting economic development in Ridgway through the preservation of our precious heritage and natural resources that were the original foundation of the community.
The Heritage Council was the initiator of Ridgway’s Main Street program and is one of the major annual contributors to fund this important effort.
Since 1997 the award-winning efforts of the council has resulted in millions of dollars of investments in residential and commercial real estate, beautification of downtown buildings and streetscapes, and the recruitment of numerous new businesses.