The fourth annual Broad Ripple Historic Home Tour is scheduled for Saturday, September 27, 2008, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., when 10 residences will open their doors to visitors. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 on the day of the tour. Interested volunteers can find information at www.discoverbroadripplevillage.com as it becomes available.

Broad Ripple Historic Home Tour Chair, Sue Zilisch said, "Not all of the tour homes are lined up yet. We rely on recommendations from residents and on homeowners volunteering their homes to help us find the special homes for each year's tour. No home is too small or large for the tour. We love diversity. Final decisions will not be made until April. The home tour takes place within the boundaries of the Broad Ripple Village Association, which is Kessler Boulevard to the south, White River to the north, Evanston Avenue to the east and Meridian Street to the west", she added.

The homes will be clustered on the tour so that people can visit several on foot before driving to another cluster. Last year, there was a cluster of homes in Warfleigh and there will probably be some homes there this year. There will also be homes south of Westfield Boulevard, east and west of College Avenue, and south of Broad Ripple Ave. It's a big step for homeowners to have about 1,000 people view their homes. Several homeowner meetings are held to help homeowners prepare for the tour.

Homes are chosen that are generally in good condition, although works in progress are also considered. Homeowners do need to be sure that their renovation projects are completed by September. The tour committee works to have homes of diverse architectural styles and interior décor. The aim is to present the most interesting and sometimes entertaining tour that they possibly can. Last year one homeowner hired a jazz combo to entertain tour goers. The neighborhood was filled with music. Who knows what a creative homeowner will come up with this year?

Each year at least 150 volunteers are needed. Homeowners are urged to recruit their friends and family, but that will not fill all the spaces, so the volunteer coordinators do need to reach out to the community for help. After the houses are selected, the history of each home is researched and the volunteers study this information.

"People often visit to see how others decorate their houses and to get remodeling and decorating ideas for their own home. Others come for the history of the homes and the area. Visitors even come from out of town since the tour is advertised in magazines devoted to historical preservation and restoration of homes from different periods, such as, Old House Interiors, Old House Journal and Arts & Crafts Homes. People around the country read these magazines and they enjoy seeing homes from around the country. Often, visitors have never been to Indianapolis. It gives the tour the opportunity to advertise Indianapolis and the historic Broad Ripple area as well", Zilisch explained.