The annual La Porte City Women’s Club holiday tour of homes takes place this year on Sunday, Dec. 8. Locations featured include (clockwise from top left) BJ and Andrea McMahon’s home, Ryan and Crystal Wisenbach’s home, Nick and Terri Donlea’s home, the Old Stone Bistro located in downtown La Porte City, and Tim Horne and Tracey Schmitz Horne’s home. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

LA PORTE CITY – The La Porte City Women’s Club is set to host its annual holiday-themed Tour of Homes featuring four area homes plus one business next Sunday, December 8.

From 4:30-7 p.m., the following locations will welcome visitors as part of the ‘Home for the Holidays’ tour: Tim Horne and Tracey Schmitz Horne home at 7502 E Reinbeck Rd, La Porte City; BJ and Andrea McMahon home at 12106 Kober Rd, La Porte City; Ryan and Crystal Wisenbach home at 3214 Benson Ave, Brandon, Iowa; Nick and Terri Donlea home at 2814 Benson Shade Grove Ave, Jesup, Iowa; and the Old Stone Bistro located in downtown La Porte City at 203 Main Street.

While most of the locations this year are local to La Porte City, both the Wisenbach and Donlea homes are in the same area and will be well worth the drive, LPC Women’s Club member Wendy Riggle told the newspaper.

In conjunction with this year’s tour, Little Knights Learning Center-LPC will again be hosting a free will donation soup supper fundraiser that same night at the La Porte City Community Center. Stop by anytime from 4-8 p.m. and warm up with soup, sweet treats, and hot chocolate. Funds raised from the supper will be put toward the construction of a new center.

The LPC Women’s Club raises money throughout the year to invest back into the community including toward high school and non-traditional scholarships, the La Porte City FFA Historical and Ag Museum, and the Hawkins Memorial Library.

Tim Horne and Tracey Schmitz Horne home located at 502 E Reinbeck Road in La Porte City. Pictured today, following extensive renovations. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Tickets for this year’s tour are $10 and can be purchased at LPC Connect or at any of the five locations on the day of the event. For more information on each home, see below.

Tim Horne and Tracey Schmitz Horne, 502 E Reinbeck Rd, La Porte City

Tracey and Tim purchased their home in 2016 as a second home because they lived full-time in Arizona at the time. Tracey grew up right next door, so the view felt like home. They started working on the house, spending weeks of their vacation remodeling, and during the pandemic, Tracey was able to work remotely, so they were able to spend more time in Iowa getting more things accomplished. They sold their home in Arizona in 2023 and moved to Iowa full-time. Inside and outside improvements are numerous in quantity and Tracey states that they have basically touched every inch of the house as everything was mostly original from 1963 when the house was built. They were originally looking for an old farmhouse but when they saw the property, they fell in love with it. They have tried to bring a bit of the old farmhouse feeling into their design by mixing antiques with new pieces.

BJ and Andrea McMahon, 12106 Kober Rd, La Porte City

The McMahons have done extensive remodeling of their home of which they did a lot of the work themselves and say that every piece of wood in the house, they’ve had their hands on it. A cousin who does cabinets helped make all the cabinets, trim, and doors. The McMahons started their addition in 2022 and had always wanted a fireplace and mantel. They actually found the barn beams before they started the addition and ended up also using them around the stairs. BJ and Andrea did all the stonework around the fireplace and the front of the house themselves. Many who have visited the McMahon home commented on the patio which Andrea designed and the deck which BJ did along with help on the concrete. Even if it’s too cold to sit on the patio, if possible, take a peek at it when you’re in the McMahon home.

BJ and Andrea McMahon home located at 12106 Kober Road in La Porte City. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Old Stone Bistro, 203 Main Street, La Porte City

The Old Stone Bistro building was erected by La Porte City founder, Dr. Jesse Wasson in 1878 which makes the building close to 150 years old. The Wasson building has served many purposes over the years including radio broadcasts of the Chicago Cubs and dances held in the second-story ballroom. The building was purchased by Dave and Vi Neil in 2013 who have restored the building to its original grandeur. The Old Stone Bistro opened in July 2024 and the building is filled with antiques including many La Porte City school and town artifacts. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday and has also been a big supporter of La Porte City events even on their closed days. Stop in at the Old Stone Bistro to admire the antiques and the Old Town Christmas feeling that the restaurant is sure to be decorated with and also to enjoy a complimentary sweet treat that they will be serving for the evening.

Ryan and Crystal Wisenbach, 3214 Benson Ave, Brandon

The Wisenbach home was built in 2023 and is a “shouse” style home. Features include a large open-concept living/kitchen area with loft and 24-foot ceilings finished with pine. Ryan and Crystal have been living in their home for about a year now and it is still a bit of a work in progress. The tree featured in the picture is a special one for Crystal as it is decorated by Hallmark angels that her godmother has been gifting her since she was born. The drive will be worth it to see this newly constructed “shouse” style home.

Nick and Terri Donlea, 2814 Benson Shade Grove Ave, Jesup

The Nick and Terri Donlea home located at 2814 Benson Shade Grove Avenue in Jesup. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The Donleas built their house in 2013 and one of the things that they are most proud of is that when they bought their property, it had zero trees on it. As of today, they have almost 50 trees planted on the property. They are skilled DIYers and love new projects. They just finished an addition to the garage this month and now have a proper wood shop for those projects. When building the house, aside from the concrete work and framing, plumbing, and electric work, the Donleas did all of the interior finishing themselves. The Donlea holiday decor changes from year to year, but this year Terri wanted to create a natural, cozy vibe for their home. You can expect to see lots of greenery, mixed with a neutral color scheme and lots of textures. The Donleas live near the interstate and the drive will be worth it to see this home and its surrounding property full of a forest of trees.

Old Stone Bistro, 203 Main Street, La Porte City

The interior of the Old Stone Bistro. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Ryan and Crystal Wisenbach home located at 3214 Benson Avenue located in Brandon. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Tim Horne and Tracey Schmitz Horne home located at 502 E Reinbeck Road in La Porte City. Pictured before renovations. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO