The heartbeat of the home tour

It takes more than 400 volunteers to make the Lakewood Home Festival happen every year

Story by Britanny Nunn | Photos by Jacque Manaugh

Every November people flock to Lakewood from all over Dallas, eager to tour half a dozen meticulously selected and expertly prepared houses during the Lakewood Home Festival weekend.

For 38 years, the festival, which is hosted by the Lakewood Early Childhood PTA (LECPTA), has continued to grow and evolve. It brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars anually, which directly benefits neighborhood schools: Lakewood Elementary School, J.L. Long Middle School and Woodrow Wilson High School. Last year’s home festival alone raised more than $140,000.

Like Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Lakewood Home Festival is a holiday staple for many neighbors. But for the casual tour-taker, it’s easy to forget — or to fail to recognize at all — the painstaking preparation that goes into making the festival happen every fall.

From brainstorming and organization to setup, supervision and cleanup, it takes more than 400 volunteers months of worry and hard work. Not to mention the time and money homeowners put into sprucing up their homes for the big day.

But despite the sweat and tears, neighbors keep finding the will to volunteer their valuable time. So who are these people, and what keeps them hanging on?

Three is company

The house at 6957 Tokalon is a classic 1948 Colonial Revival limestone home nestled on a large lot.

The family that lives there includes three boys, so functionality is key, but the home also exudes beauty with its striking balance between classic and new age modern.

Inside, French doors usher guests from the dining room into the family room and give them a peek at the pool in the backyard. The kitchen captures