Tickets on sale for Sugar Plum Tour of Holiday Homes

Tickets are on sale for the 23^rd annual Sugar Plum Tour of Holiday Homes, Greater Akron’s premier holiday home tour. This year’s live tour will feature five festively decorated homes on Sunday, Dec. 8, from noon to 5 p.m., while the virtual tour will feature professionally filmed tours of eight homes during the weekend of Dec. 14-15.

The Sugar Plum Tour is the signature fundraiser of the Gay Community Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation. Since 2002, thousands of tourgoers have experienced the twinkling lights, roaring fires, sparkling trees and holiday decorations of homes nestled in neighborhoods throughout Greater Akron. 

Among the homes showcased on this year’s tour are a 1920 Colonial featuring original woodwork, grand fireplaces and a modern kitchen in the heart of Highland Square; an updated 1927 Tudor with custom architectural features and a few surprises in West Akron; a 1993 townhome condo nestled against the beautiful Summit Metro Parks, complete with a two-story vaulted dining room and a lofted office; a 1959 single-story home in New Franklin that features a handcrafted fireplace mantel; and a 1927 Georgian Revival located in Highland Square with original cherry brick, green shutters, a curved staircase and ornate moldings.

General admission tickets are $40 each for the live or virtual tours, or $70 for both, and can be purchased at sugarplumtour.org. All guests will receive digital tickets to this year’s tour as part of their purchase confirmation email. For more details, visit sugarplumtour.org/tickets. 

Following the live tour, sponsors are invited to a private party at a home on the border of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This luxurious three-story home will feature a speakeasy and Santa’s workshop, among other festive amenities. A limited number of Patron Party bundle tickets, which include admission to both the live and virtual tours and the private Patron Party, are available for $250. 

Last year’s Sugar Plum Tour raised more than $100,000 for the fund, which supports the Greater Akron LGBTQ+ community by providing grants and scholarships that advance the right to live safely, openly and authentically. Recent grants have supported an empowering all-day conference for LGBTQ+ students, promoted inclusivity through the 2024 Akron Pride Festival, and provided emergency housing and support services at the Bayard Rustin LGBTQ+ Resource Center, among other initiatives. A full list of recent grants is available at akroncf.org/GCEFgrants.

Major sponsors of the 23^rd annual Sugar Plum Tour of Holiday Homes include Raymond Dental Group – Dr. Kate Raymond & Michelle Krocker, FirstEnergy, Gregory Hail & Matthew Culler, and The Read Family. For a complete list of this year’s sponsors, visit sugarplumtour.org/sponsors. 

All proceeds from the event benefit the Gay Community Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation.

About the Gay Community Endowment Fund

Founded in 2001, the Gay Community Endowment Fund is a permanent philanthropic endowment of Akron Community Foundation. The fund supports the Greater Akron LGBTQ+ community by providing grants and scholarships that advance the right to live safely, openly and authentically. Since its inception, the fund has grown to nearly $2.3 million while reinvesting nearly $840,000 into the community. Contributions of any amount are welcome and support future grantmaking. Checks should be sent to Akron Community Foundation, 345 W. Cedar St., Akron, OH 44307, with Gay Community Endowment Fund in the memo line. Donations may also be designated for the GCEF Scholarship Fund. For more information, or to contribute, call 330-376-8522 or visit gaycommunityfund.org.

Sponsored by Akron Community Foundation

For 70 years, Akron Community Foundation has been our community’s champion and generator of enduring philanthropy. In 1955, a $1 million bequest from the estate of Edwin Shaw established the community foundation. It is a philanthropic endowment of $330 million with a growing family of more than 900 funds established by charitable people and organizations from all walks of life. The community foundation and its funds welcome gifts of all kinds, including cash, bequests, stock, real estate, life insurance and retirement assets, just to name a few. To date, the community foundation’s funds have awarded $263 million in grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. For more information about Akron Community Foundation or to learn more about creating your own charitable fund, call 330-376-8522 or visit akroncf.org.