I sat down with Lucy Whittier, Haus und Garten PreTour Chair, to brainstorm an article idea regarding the 2026 event. She suggested looking into the history of the PreTour dinner parties.
1986 Inaugural PreTour featuring Lindeys and Limousines! w/Terri Dickey
In 1986, German Village residents and legendary couple, Fred Holdridge and Howard Burns, wanted to expand the Sunday Haus und Garten Tour experience by including an activity on the preceding Saturday evening. Fred was a longterm board member and often President of the German Village Society. He reached out to dynamic German Village residents, Terri Dickey and Jerry Glick, to brainstorm what to do and put it into action.
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They decided to sell 100 tickets for $75. Neighbors met at Lindeys for cocktails and appetizers and then travelled to the homes on the tour via limousines to see the homes in advance of the actual event. Afterward, everyone enjoyed a festive dinner at Lindeys.
Several years into doing the PreTour parties, Betty Garrett suggested they switch to having local home owners donate/throw dinner parties at their homes.
1994 Haus und Garten PreTour Party w/Pam Edwards
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Pam Edwards with longterm partner Carl Mitsoulis at a PreTour Italian dinner
2003 Hot Town - Summer in the City w/Pam Edwards
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Sundowners:
Cocktail Hour at G. Michael's 5 pm I (Kyle Haines, GVM Publisher) went to the PreTour in '03 and remember enjoying meeting new and old friends at the cocktail party at G Michael's on the outside patio.
Tour: 6 to 8 pm
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Pleasure of your Company: Dinners 8 to 10 pm
They offered 19 dinner options that year. I opted for the Ultimate Urban Cookout hosted by Fred Holdridge and Pam Edwards.
They held the cookout themed dinner party at Fred's apartment located above Hausfrau Haven on his outdoor back deck. We had a tasty, delightful urban gathering!
2005 PreTour w/Lynn Elliott
From Lynn Elliot:
PreTour 2005 began without a cloud in the sky.
Betty Garrett and I co-chaired the PreTour cocktail party that was held in Frank Fetch Park and on Beck Street. Classic cars were lined up for display.
As guests moved from the cocktail party to their assigned dinners it started to rain.
Betty and I sat in a golf cart trying to decide how long the rain would last when the sky turned dark. The big drops of rain became a downpour, a summer thunderstorm that came in fast and hard.
Betty worked with the OSU volunteers cleaning up from the cocktail party while I ran home to the fifty people under three tents we were hosting in my back yard.
The party was well under way. Volunteers, Pam Edwards and Carl Mitsoulis, opened all of the bottles of wine and delivered them to the tables.
Protected by umbrellas the chef served a multi course Italian dinner. The vocalist and accordion player entertained from the open garage door.
As quickly as the rain started, it moved out.
A few rays of sunshine began to beam through the clouds.
PreTour 2005 began without a cloud in the sky.
Betty Garrett and I co-chaired the PreTour cocktail party that was held in Frank Fetch Park and on Beck Street. Classic cars were lined up for display.
As guests moved from the cocktail party to their assigned dinners it started to rain.
Betty and I sat in a golf cart trying to decide how long the rain would last when the sky turned dark. The big drops of rain became a downpour, a summer thunderstorm that came in fast and hard.
Betty worked with the OSU volunteers cleaning up from the cocktail party while I ran home to the fifty people under three tents we were hosting in my back yard.
The party was well under way. Volunteers, Pam Edwards and Carl Mitsoulis, opened all of the bottles of wine and delivered them to the tables.
Protected by umbrellas the chef served a multi course Italian dinner. The vocalist and accordion player entertained from the open garage door.
As quickly as the rain started, it moved out.
A few rays of sunshine began to beam through the clouds.
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Wonder Woman, Darci Congrove, has hosted 18 consecutive PreTour Parties. And she's at it again for 2026! Offering very creative and diverse themes year after year.
PreTour Dinner Parties w/Darci Congrove
From: Darci Congrove
I first attended a PreTour dinner in 2005. It was a giant barbeque event in Macon Alley and there were "cowboys" who taught us all how to play Texas Hold'em. It was a fun night, and I decided then that I wanted to host a dinner the next year. That was 2006, and I've had a dinner every year since.
I first attended a PreTour dinner in 2005. It was a giant barbeque event in Macon Alley and there were "cowboys" who taught us all how to play Texas Hold'em. It was a fun night, and I decided then that I wanted to host a dinner the next year. That was 2006, and I've had a dinner every year since.
Patti Orzano and Darci Congrove
I host with my best friend, Patti Orzano, our friend Bob Mangia, and many others who have helped us. Bob is a florist and a cook, and has made some amazing flower arrangements for us over the years. Patti lived in New York City for most of those years, and she flew to Columbus every year for Haus und Garten. We love coming up with a theme that fits the overall event each year! This year will be dinner #19 for us. We have cooked all of them ourselves.
2007 The Art of Living Well - Midsummer Night's Dream w/Darci Congrove
It actually was midsummer night on that date. We had huge 5-feet tall vases of beautiful flowers on the tables and the Actor's Theatre crew came after their performance in Schiller Park and did a mini version of the show for our guests.
2010 51 Still the One - Within 100 miles w/Darci Congrove
We served only locally grown or sourced food.
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2011 Friends und Neighbors (FUN) w/Darci Congrove
We partnered with a number of our neighbors and closed a block of Frankfort Street between Jaeger and 6th to host 100 people at one giant long farm table. That was a blast!
2012 Characters Welcome - Willy Wonka w/Darci Congrove
This was Willy Wonka theme. It poured rain and we had to drag everyone indoors, but we still had fun!
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2015 Celebrations - Birthday Party at the Kahiki w/Darci Congrove
Our theme was "Birthday Party at the Kahiki," and we made authentic Polynesian food. The day before the event, the marriage equality act passed, and we decorated our front porch in rainbow colors and changed our theme to "Equality Party at the Kahiki". It was a chilly night, but everyone was so happy and celebratory that the weather didn't matter!
2017 150 Years of Schiller Park - Everything for Paisley Park w/Darci Congrove
Our theme was Prince and we went with a purple and gold ambiance.
2018 Expect the Unexpected - Dinner Disguised as Dessert w/Darci Congrove
We made dinner disguised as dessert. Every course looked like a dessert, but was a savory dish. It was so much fun to plan and execute!
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Lobster shepard's pie
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2019 Brick by Brick 60 Years of GV Stories w/Darci Congrove
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We're excited about this year's "Global Gatherings" theme. Our theme will be "Street Food Capitals of the World" and we'll host it in an informal party-style atmosphere rather than a sit-down dinner.
GIVE | Remembrances of the Haus und Garten Pretour Dinners | Issue LXIII
