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Community Corner

Christmas in Island Heights House Tour & Crafts Shows

Tickets are now on sale for the 30th annual Christmas in Island Heights House Tour and Craft Shows.

The $25 admission fee includes
entrance to six unique homes in historic Island Heights. Among the tour
highlights is the former Arbutus Lodge, now known as Bedlam Manor, a riverfrontVictorian home built in 1893 by Henry Pettit as a wedding gift for his wife,
Mary Ann. The couple’s son built one of the original A-Cats, which he named
Mary Ann, after his mother. Featuring eight bedrooms, seven fireplaces, a
wraparound porch, and a private beach, the lodge was purchased by yachtsman and
marine painter John English (1913–2013) in 1969, whose family continues to own
it.



Next door, and also open to
visitors, is the Manor’s onetime carriage house, now a charming cottage filled
with nautical treasures and paintings by the owner’s father, John English.
Guests will also tour a recently renovated Dutch colonial built in 1900, which
sits on a bluff overlooking the Toms River; a pre-revolutionary house with
original post-and-beam construction, wide plank floors, and sweeping views of
Barnegat Bay; a breezy, modernized ranch with wood-burning fireplace, large
rear deck, and photographer’s workshop; and a former 1908 summer cabin that’s been
transformed into a year-round dream home.

In addition, there will be two craft shows, one at the church (111 Ocean Avenue), and the other at the Island Heights Firehouse on Lake Avenue, both free and open between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

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For a nominal fee, lunch will be
served at the church from 12 to 4 p.m. and at the firehouse from 11 a.m. to 4
p.m., and will include homemade Methodist Minestrone soup, sandwiches, and
desserts. Breakfast is available at the church from 8 to 10:30 a.m. ($5 adults,
$3 children), and guests can enjoy hot beverages and homemade
sweets in one of two Victorian tearooms from 1 to 4 p.m. for $4. New this year:
the “Man Cave” at the church will be open all day for rest, relaxation, and
refreshments.


On tour day, many Island Heights
points of interest will open their doors, including: the Cottage Museum; The
Studio at the John Peto house (admission fee $10); Ludlow
Thorston Gallery; the Ocean County Artists’ Guild; the Island Heights Library;
and St. Gertrude’s Roman Catholic Church.

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A candlelight carol service will
kick off home-tour weekend on Friday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m. Held in the
beautiful sanctuary of the church, this free event is open to the public.



Tickets may be purchased for $25 at the Island
Heights United Methodist Church, 111 Ocean Avenue, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., or at one of these Island Heights locations: Ludlow Thorston Galleries, 10 Central

Avenue; Ocean County Artists' Guild, Ocean and Chestnut avenues; A New Corner
Deli, 22 Central Avenue; or Fast Break, 1635 Hwy 37 East.


To reserve tickets in advance,
e-mail IHUMC@comcast.net. Tickets will also be available on house-tour day and
may be purchased at the church or the Island Heights firehouse beginning at 9 a.m.


For more information, call the
church office at 732-929-0444, e-mail IHUMC@comcast.net, or visit
www.IHUMC.org.

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