October for Design draws large crowds; organizers plan smaller antique house tour next year

Nancy, a committee member, told the group that feedback from partner organizations and the museum made October for Design "a big success," highlighting a mix of family-friendly and intellectual programming that drew strong attendance.

Organizers said the one-day house tour sold out in June, required additional buses and still produced a waitlist. Nancy said house capacity is the main constraint and that past practice favored holding house tours every other year to avoid overtaxing homeowners. "We sold out in June," Nancy said, and staff added transportation to accommodate demand.

The committee agreed to pilot an antique house tour during next year’s October for Design as a smaller, themed alternative. Nancy said the new format will likely attract fewer visitors (an early estimate of roughly 80 attendees was discussed) and may run as an afternoon tour concluding with an evening program at the museum. Chris Shipper (referenced by organizers) volunteered to recruit participating homeowners.

Val McVay, program director at Grace Farms, described Grace Farms’ Oct. 11 10-year anniversary events, including a Joshua Bell performance and a benefit dinner, and said the organization is finalizing programs for the September–May season.

Organizers underscored the need to coordinate more closely across organizations next year so that programming feels like a shared community effort rather than several parallel events. The committee left plans in place to finalize participating sites and to develop communications once homeowner capacity and logistics are settled.