SHULLSBURG—Let the holiday season begin! Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time to kick off the season.
The elves have been busy in Shullsburg. The merchants and restaurants on historic Water Street will be ready with Christmas greenery and decorated shop windows. Shullsburg is the perfect location to begin your Christmas shopping. The friendly people and smiling faces welcome you into the shops and restaurants.
After a one-year hiatus, the Holiday Tour of Homes is back this year. Stop at the Shullsburg Community Townsend Center between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to get your tour of homes ticket for $10 and receive an ornament. Five great homes are ready to invite you in to share holiday traditions.
The Paquette house has been festively decorated by Chateau Floral of Darlington. Pete and Sue Paquette purchased the home in 2009 and did substantial renovations. The new front porch and landscaping draw you into this home where the walls have been removed to create an open floor plan with new hardwood floors. The unfinished basement was transformed into a family room, bedroom, bathroom and toy room for the Paquette’s grandchildren.
The Kennedy home serves as a getaway for the extended Kennedy family. This cozy cottage was purchased by Levi and Evelyn Kennedy and served as their home for many years. The new sun porch on this cottage gives guests a great view of Badger Park. The extended Kennedy family loves to spend holidays and long getaway weekends in this charming cottage. 
The Ritterbusch house has been lovingly restored by Cory and Emily Ritterbusch who reside in the home with their young son, Paul. The “Giles” house was built around 1890 near the site of the first cabin built by Jesse Shull. Cory and Emily purchased the house in 2007 and began an extensive remodeling. The yellow pine floors, once hidden under layers of other floor types, were restored and dominate most of the home. Many “green” products and practices were used during the restoration. Barn beams from a local barn were used as support and remain exposed. The house celebrates the simplicity of the original house while adding modern features and utilizing new technologies.
The Westemeier house, built by George and Mary Alt, was originally the site of the Socony Mobile Oil Company. Julia Westemeier purchased the home in 2010 and remodeled it to meet today’s lifestyle. The corner location close to downtown is the perfect spot for Julie to welcome family and friends to “Westey’s House.”
The Perfect Touch Massage Therapy building, known as the “Hebenstreit Building,” was purchased by Eugene and Cherie Uehling in 2009 and became the location for Cherie’s business. The building is located in Shullsburg’s National Registered Water Street Historic District. It is a modest vernacular building with an English look in design. The foundation and sill are pre-Civil War. Chuck and Jill Staab worked diligently for years to restore the building making it a comfortable location for Cherie’s business. The calm, relaxing atmosphere is the perfect location to escape the “real” world, even if it’s for a little while.  
The “Home For The Holidays” theme is fun for the children. What better way to make Holiday memories– decorating Christmas cookies, making Christmas cards and gift bags with your children and grandchildren?  Adults are welcome to relive their childhood by joining in. These are hands-on projects and everyone will be able to take their masterpieces home to enjoy for years to come, except the cookies, of course! They should be enjoyed soon after they are made. Children must be accompanied by an adult. A nominal fee will be charged. The fun begins at 1 p.m. and continues until 3 p.m. at the Shullsburg Community Townsend Center.
The Shullsburg Community Development Corporation will feature a Red Wing Pottery creamer this year to match the 2010 sugar bowl as part of its Red Wing collection of pottery pieces offered over the past several years. The pair will make a great sugar bowl and creamer set. The numbered, limited edition sugar bowl will be available at the Shullsburg Community Townsend Center from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. There are only 100 available, so you won’t want to miss this opportunity to add to your pottery collection. If you have collected the pottery in past years and want to continue getting your numbered piece, please contact Jeff Russell at (608) 482-1859 to reserve yours. Any pieces not picked up by 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, will be released for sale.
When it’s time for lunch, stop by the Centenary United Methodist Church for a piece of homemade pasty from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. The ladies continue the tradition of offering pasty, a meat and potatoes pie, found in the lunch box of the local miners. If pasty is not to your liking, the many restaurants on Water Street offer a varied menu of delicious dishes.
Spend the afternoon shopping or visiting with family and friends, have dinner in one of the fine restaurants and end the day enjoying the ever-popular lighted Christmas parade. The Shullsburg School Band will lead the parade beginning at 7:30 p.m.  The unique lighted floats add that special touch to the parade. It’s the perfect ending to a great weekend in Shullsburg. Merry Christmas!

If you go…
A Bit of Yesteryear Christmas
Shullsburg
Saturday, Nov. 26
10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Holiday Tour of Homes, starts at the Shullsburg Community Townsend Center
11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Pasties for sale at Centenary United Methodist Church, 226 W. Church St.
11 a.m.-3 p.m.: Red Wing Pottery sale at Shullsburg Community Townsend Center
1-3 p.m.: Fun for children (cookie decorating, card-making and gift bag decorating) at Shullsburg Community Townsend Center