Two rooms included in the Tanner House Museum holiday open houses have been named recipients of a new history award from the Aurora Historical Society. They are the kitchen, which features homemade gingerbread and dried fruit decorations, and the upstairs sitting room, which depicts a Victorian-era matron on a walk through a snowy park with her three playful children and mischievous dogs.
The Victoria Award, given for the first time in 2018, recognizes rooms that capture some aspect of history especially well, according to Tanner House docent coordinator Karen Blee Nickels, who came up with the idea.
“Of course we still have the Favorite Room award,” she said, referring to the balloting by visitors to the house throughout the holiday season. “People have a lot of fun, and sometimes a lot of difficulty, choosing their favorite room. It’s a big part of the program.”
But the program guidelines encourage freedom in interpreting the holidays, according to Nickels. This year, for instance, one room features a spaceship arriving at a dollhouse, carrying tiny space creatures bearing even tinier gifts. Another shows a modern New Year’s Eve scene. The Victoria awards will be a tip of the hat to the late-Victorian era of the house.
The awards in both categories are entirely for bragging rights, Nickels said. There are no trophies or monetary rewards. The winner of the Favorite Room contest will be announced in January.
—Aurora Historical Society