5 Homes Featured in Holiday Tour

Five houses will deck the halls, rooms and porches for the eighth annual Holiday Home Tour on Dec. 4 and 5.

The tour of the decorated homes in Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village will raise money for the Wellness Community, a nonprofit organization that provides free support for cancer patients and family members.

Diana Malmquist, who created the signature event for the Wellness Community, said it has become one of the group’s major fund-raisers. Last year, the event raised more than $50,000, she said. This year, the hours have been extended to 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 4 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 5 to allow residents more time to see the outside lights.

“We have homes here that we see in magazines,” Malmquist said.

Thousand Oaks homeowner Kelly Ryan said she has been working on her decorations since Halloween.

“I didn’t want it to look like my house was so overdone that nobody lived there,” Ryan said.

Unlike Ryan, Bev Dallas just started decorating her Lake Sherwood estate two days ago.

“I’m still creating. I took everything down from storage, and I am going through it all, trying to incorporate all the pictures that I’ve seen,” Dallas said.

Participating in the fund-raising event means a lot more to Dallas than just an opportunity to show off her house.

“This is to support the Wellness Community,” Dallas said. “My mother has cancer, so this means a lot to me.”

Tickets are $15 if bought in advanced, or $20 at the door. For information, call 379-0030.