Tour the decked halls

Luis Pena

Wet and cold weather couldn’t keep nearly 1,000 people from showing

up to the seventh annual Balboa Island Holiday Walking Tour.

Residents open up their homes to guests so that they can see the

holiday decorations. The proceeds of the event go toward the Balboa

Island Improvement Assn., which uses the funds for improvements to

the island such as teak benches and potted plants around the

perimeter of the island for beautification purposes, said Meagan

Marriott, publicity chairwoman for the event.

The home on 203 Emerald Ave. is affectionately known as the fairy

tale house, said Erika Primeau, daughter of Mary Hardesty-Clayton and

Cary Clayton, who have owned the house for two years. Legend has it

that a Hollywood producer built the home in 1940 for his girlfriend

and that many of the whimsical fixtures of the home came from movie

sets, she said.

The house already has a storybook look to it, lending itself to

the gingerbread house and Santa’s house themes, Primeau said.

“I think its very jovial and just looking at it makes you happy

because it brings everybody back to their childhood with all of the

imagination and everything that was used,” said Primeau. “Brings you

back to your childhood days of carefree fun and all of the candy in

the world.”

Primeau and her best friend, Brenna Menard, dressed up as elves

and handed out gingerbread men to those on the tour.

“It’s a historic building, and its something that Mary has always

wanted, so she wanted to share it with everybody else,” Primeau said.

“She wanted to share the Christmas spirit with everybody this year.”

Jeanne Lewand, a Balboa Island resident, said that the Clayton’s

Emerald Avenue house smelled good and that she loved the elves at the

end who handed out cookies.

“It [Emerald Ave house] brought me so much joy,” Lewand said. “It

gave me Christmas spirit.”

Beth Ruegger of Villa Park said that she liked the Emerald Avenue

house because the decorators had made the best of the space and

because it was bright and lively.

“Its individual people aren’t afraid to express their

individuality here,” Ruegger said. “It’s like you go to big tracts

and everybody looks alike, like Mission Viejo and South County, but

in Newport, everybody does their own thing. It’s uniqueness, and

nobody is afraid to show their own personalities.”

This was Rueggers first time on the tour. She said that she would

be back next year.

Pat Cline, owner of the 1928 cottage on 205 Topaz Ave., said that

she decorated the home in a folk-art style because it is more fun to

be involved with folk art than more glamorous looking items.

“I’m more interested in the spiritual side of Christmas,” Cline

said.

Cline said she enjoys decorating her home during Christmas. She

opened up her doors to the public because her children are all grown

up and it isn’t any fun if no one comes to see what she has done, she

said.

Ruegger said she liked Cline’s cottage because not everyone would

his or her home in that style.

The tour also had Christmas carolers. Also performing on the tour

were the Balboa Bachelors, a trombone ensemble that once played

“Silent Night” for Ronald Reagan, said Randy Wallen, bass trombone

player. This was the group’s third year playing at the event, he

said.

“I’ve been coming here for six or seven years, and it puts me into

the holiday spirit, and I get lots of great ideas to try to recreate

at home,” said Kristin Arthur of Costa Mesa.

“It’s gotten me inspired to get the holiday spirit going at my

house,” said Stephanie Wallace of Corona del Mar.

* LUIS PENA is the news assistant and may be reached at (949)

574-4298 or by e-mail at [email protected].