BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Monitor Editor
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— The city’s Heritage Commission is hosting a walking tour of the town’s historic homes on May 7.
Commission member Deirdre Murphy told city council members during their March 7 meeting that the purpose of the event is to bring awareness and historic knowledge of the homes in the community to the public.
Murphy added that the event is an exterior tour only and does not include going inside houses.
“We want to schedule this for Saturday, the day before Mother’s Day and have roses for all the mothers at the pavilion,” she said. “That will be our starting point. We’ll be able to hand out little guides similar to what we have already in the lobby of city hall to all the participants and then they will be able to kind of have a self-guided tour of the historic homes.”
Other Heritage Tour events
Heritage Commission Chair Nina Rodenroth added that the group also plans a historic home plaque workshop and an event featuring Clay County Archive Director Vishi Garig.
Rodenroth also proposed a Kids-of-Keystone field trip to educate area youth about the town’s history. She added that the event will be aimed at fifth graders and that the Heritage Commission has already reached out to area schools regarding the event.
Rodenroth told council members that one goal of the Kids-of-Keystone field trip is to give Lake Region youths an appreciation of the history and culture of their hometown. She added that such buy-in might reduce cases of vandalism perpetrated by teenagers.
“If we really make a difference with one child,” she said, “it might be that one kid that says: don’t vandalize the bathrooms at the park.”
