Discover Smith Mountain Lake Again!
By Andie Gibson

         Would you do it?
         Open your home for three days to upwards of 5,000 strangers examining every nook and cranny?
   Ten Smith Mountain Lake couples will do just that Oct. 4-6 for the 2002 Smith Mountain Lake Charity Home Tour.
   “At first, my wife was a little apprehensive,” said Mike Mutchler, whose home on White Cap Lane will be among the feature houses. “But then we found out how well organized they were and that put our minds at ease.”
   Now in its 12th year, the Home Tour benefits eight area charities. Last year, more than $200,000 was raised, a fact that wasn’t lost on Thomas Warme. When approached about having his Hillview Drive home on the Tour, Warme, a semi-retired Lutheran minister, did the math.
   “If you have 10 homes on the Tour and they raised $200,000, that’s $20,000 per home,” he said. “Our blessing becomes something good for others, too. We’re fortunate to live here.”
   Mutchler, a retired General Motors executive, said support for the community and charities also helped he and his wife Delores decide to participate. However, he said they also hope the Tour will benefit the sponsors of their home, all of whom were involved in the more than 3-year construction process.
   “All the people who worked on our house did a workmanlike and professional job and are proud to show it off,” said Mutchler, who explained that having his home on the Tour was a way to pay them back through exposure for their businesses.
   The Mutchlers have lived in their home just over two years. It features traditional modern architecture with a 24-foot ceiling in the center of the house. That focal point is what Mutchler said he thinks Tour participants will remember most about his home.
   DeeDee Bondurant, whose home is located on Merriman Way Road, said the amazing views from her home are what participants will remember most.
   “No matter where you look in the house you see water,” said Bondurant, who moved to the lake with her husband Louis two years ago after more than 20 years in Northern Virginia. “It’s like a fish bowl. We get the sunrise off the main channel and the sunset on the kitchen side of the house.”
   Others may disagree, choosing to spend more time outside of the home than inside. That’s because the Bondurant’s yard has been certified as a backyard wildlife habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. The certification is presented to homeowners who plan their landscape with the needs of wildlife in mind.
   “We’ve made it nice for critters and birds,” Bondurant said. “[The NWF] encourages less to mow, a more natural concept.”
   In fact, Bondurant said the thing she’s most concerned about is preparing the exterior of her home for the Tour.
   “I’m worried about my mums blooming in October. I’ve been pinching and pinching but they’re already blooming, so I guess I’m going to have to import some mums,” she said.
   Mutchler agreed. “We plan to dress up the landscaping a few weeks before the Tour, but up to now we haven’t done too much,” he said.
    All of the homeowners will be honored at gala on Sept. 21 at the Hotel Roanoke. Reservations are being accepted for the event, a seated dinner that includes live and silent auctions, live music and dancing. The cost is $65 per person.
   Tickets for the Home Tour, which is accessible by car or boat, are $20 in advance and $25 after Oct. 3. They are available at area ticket outlets or by sending a check or money order payable to: Smith Mountain Lake Charity Home Tour, Inc., P.O. Box 41, Huddleston, VA 24104.
    For more information on the Tour or the Gala, call 540-297-TOUR or visit SMLCharityHomeTour.com.