Daniel Island's Harvest Tour of Homes returns for 11th year!

Event proceeds benefit Daniel Island Library

HEATH ELLISON
heath@thedanielislandnews.com
The Harvest Tour of Homes, an important fundraiser for the Berkeley County Library on Daniel Island, has always been a unique island experience for those who take part.

Participants are guided through the well-appointed houses and condos of four island residences, experiencing new ideas for their own dwellings, while taking in conversation with a local Charleston author at each stopping point. The writers speak about their latest books, while attendees get a behind the scenes look at a collection of exquisite properties.

“We truly spend the effort in trying to find ways that we are showcasing the Daniel Island lifestyle, the community of Daniel Island, the support of the tour volunteers,” said Deidre Schipani, Harvest Tour of Homes (HTOH) committee member.

The formula has stayed very consistent, and for good reason.

“We have tried lots of new things over the years, and we have found what people like the best is to tour four unique homes: homes that are different from each other, on different parts of the island, and to meet our authors,” said HTOH founder Mary Ann Solberg.

The 2018 edition of the Harvest Tour of Homes, sponsored by the Friends of the Daniel Island Library, is now in its 11th year.

“We are celebrating the achievements of the hundreds of people who have dedicated themselves to building this fundraiser into a Lowcountry favorite,” noted Solberg, in a press release about the event.

Tour-goers will meander through an assortment of architectural styles, lifestyles, and neighborhoods at this year’s event, set to take place on Saturday, October 20, from 1 to 4 p.m.

“We try to find a home where a family might be raising children, or a home that reflects a particular interest of a homeowner,” explained Schipani. “We also try to balance the tour between both sides of the island, so that when people are coming to the tour itself, they get a chance to see the north side of the island and the south side of the island.”

Jill and Clyde Hiers will open up their home overlooking a golf course in Daniel Island Park for one stop on the tour, and its personalized design makes it one-of-a-kind.

“It was custom built, custom designed, custom outfitted, and every step of the creation of that home was reflecting a vision of the homeowners, their designer, their decorator, their architect,” said Schipani. “So, that particular house definitely gives people an awareness of what all the different disciplines can do.”

Colleen Condon has offered her Codner’s Ferry home for the tour. It provides a couple of unique perspectives.

“This home is on one of the first two streets where properties were built and developed back in the late ‘90s when the first residents came to Daniel Island,” Schipani commented. “And that particular home has a lot of charm because the homeowner is a world traveler. All the different elements of the house reflect travel through Asia, Europe, Israel, China, Japan.”

Third on the list is Ann Coggiola, whose art collection will be a prominent feature of her tour stop.

“The home, in many respects, is a museum, and it’s a modern in that the homeowner has definitely used the light and bright colors of the current Benjamin Moore color palette,” said Schipani when describing the house. “She really has looked at the space as areas in which to display and showcase all of these collections.”

The fourth place on the list of homes is a penthouse, which is a bit of a rarity for the island.

“This is definitely shades of New York or any major American city, such as San Francisco, Chicago, that has a true penthouse design,” Schipani added. “They have an outdoor porch that is on the third floor, so you can see the river and you can see the marsh.”

This tour stop was provided by Phillip Manchester. The process of looking for homes is about finding the variety in Daniel Island life, added Solberg.

“We look for homes that are large and grand, we look for homes that are smaller and unique, we look for a variety of the types of housing we have on the island,” she said.

The setup is clearly effective –and has brought in thousands of patrons over the years. But the clear winner is the Daniel Island Library.

“It’s definitely a homegrown organization where all of the artwork, all of the writing, all of the resourcing, and all of the staffing come from the community to support the Daniel Island Library,” said Schipani. “So, it really resonates with the people here that it was birthed really out of a need to replenish the library funding.”

Thanks to the support of the sponsors and the community, the funds aid the library considerably. Over the past 10 years, the popular event has generated $170,000 for the facility, providing the branch with new computers, shelving, book kits, bean bag chairs, children’s reading programs, DVDs, a reading garden with benches, and a host of other supplies.

“We have so few expenses, that people who buy tickets and homeowners who donate their houses, know that the money that they are raising goes directly to help the library,” said Solberg.

And the Daniel Island Library is thankful for every dollar they receive. Last week, Branch Manager Tim Boyle was able to point out many library items in plain sight that were purchased with money from the Harvest Tour of Homes.

“The big thing we’re doing is the book club kits,” said Boyle “They do support that wholeheartedly.”

Money from the festivities contributes to the library collecting books and discussion questions for reading clubs, making literary groups an easier experience to partake in.

“They put thousands of dollars behind that program, so our book clubs are really well supported,” added Boyle.

And, just as the Harvest Tour of Homes sees members of the community opening their doors to the public, the proceeds from the event help keep the doors open at the Daniel Island Library.

“It gets people into conversation about the books, about local books, about the local area, and it gets them to the library,” said Boyle.

Want to go?

HARVEST TOUR OF HOMES
Saturday, October 20
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Tickets, which include information on home locations, are $25 each and can be purchased in advance, payable in cash or check, at Island Expressions and Egan’s Spirits on Daniel Island. Only 400 tickets will be sold for the event, ensuring the homes are not overcrowded. Tickets can also be obtained from Harvest Tour of Homes committee members or by check payable to Friends of the Daniel Island Library, 121 Iron Bottom Lane, Daniel Island 29492.
Remaining tickets will be available on the day of the tour for $30 each at the Daniel Island Library, 2301 Daniel Island Drive. For additional information, and to view properties that will be featured on the tour, visit www.harvesthometours.com.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT
More information on the featured authors at each of the four stops on the Harvest Tour of Homes will be featured in an upcoming issue of The Daniel Island News.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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