Out & About: WCHS hosts Toast the Tour
Karen Imhoff says her house was a “basket case” when she and husband Alan Imhoff bought the Hempfield property in 1993, and she has photos to prove it.
Some of those photos were on display during the Westmoreland County Historical Society’s annual Toast the Tour cocktail party on Sept. 7, held at the property known as Woodcrest Farm.
Toast the Tour precedes the society’s annual Historic House Tour, set for Sept. 15. For details, visit westmorelandhistory.org.
Guests approached the house via a long, winding drive which opens onto lush landscaped grounds, with the house perched atop a slight rise.
It’s a basket case no more.
Built sometime around 1830, the renovated home blends original touches like hardwood floors with modern conveniences like a state-of-the-art Wolf gas range.
Karen Imhoff said the dining room walls were covered with vintage handpainted wallpaper when the family moved in, which she would have loved to keep, but the cost of restoration was too great. Now the walls sport a colorful floral pattern that she feels retains the spirit of the original.
While waiting their turns for tours of the house, guests gathered around the dining room table for a spread of heavy hors d’oeuvres from Rizzo’s.
Seen at the farm: WCHS Executive Director Lisa Hays, Corey and Lauren Churilla, Jim Clayton and Mary Catherine Motchar, Clinton Piper , Dr. George and Linda Austin, Linda Assard, Wilda Kaylor, Alice Kaylor, Eric and Michele Bononi, P. Louis and Joan DeRose, Linda Brown and Terry Graft, Phyllis Bertok and Rich Lopretto .
Also, Jill Briercheck, Jo Ellen Numerick, Bob and Arlene Kendra, Phil and Gladys Light, Doug Evans and Greg Murman, Dick and Barbara Flock, David Volpe and Shawn Spadaro, Barbara Ferrier, Carolyn Falcon and Monsignor William Rathgeb .
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley at 724-836-5750, smcmarlin@tribweb.com or via Twitter @shirley_trib.
