MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Members of Preservation Williamsport are planing this year's Victorian Christmas for November 18-20. This year's theme is "Lumber~Boom to Barons". Members of the 2016 Victorian Christmas committee include from left: Hallie and Chuck Luppert, Nan Young, Meg Smith, Peachie O'Connor, Jill Confair, and Tom O'Connor.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas — well, maybe not exactly, but Williamsport soon will be a sight to see, thanks to the efforts of three friends that began nearly 20 years ago.

Victorian Christmas, presented by Preservation Williamsport, began with the planning of a candlelight tour over a glass of wine at the Peter Herdic House, and will celebrate its 18th year of holiday festivities Nov. 18 – 20, with “Lumber: Boom to Barons.”

More extravagant each year, the “hub” of Victorian Christmas will be in the Park Place/Thomas T. Taber Museum area, 800 block of West Fourth Street.

According to Nan Young, a third of the original trio that also included Gloria Miele and Edward “Ted” Lyon Jr., the energy and enthusiasm continues to spread, as the small group of determined mansion rescuers grew. Grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Lycoming County Visitor’s Bureau and the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania throughout the years have allowed them to include more than 19 stops on its historic tour.

Festivities will kick off Nov. 18, with many local groups becoming involved in this treasured event, including the DuBoistown Garden Club, Wine & Design, the Thomas T. Taber Museum and Park Place. On Nov. 19, events across town include the Growers Market; the signature tour of homes and churches, an Artisan Holiday Market, a second showing offered by the DuBoistown Garden Club; the Will Huffman Toy Train Expo; a children’s Wine & Design (sans alcohol, of course) and a performance by the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra Billtown Brass Band. And finally, Nov. 20 will include a final garden club showing and a second day of the Toy Train Expo.

What first began as a tour to include the mansions along Millionaire’s Row, including the fire-burned buildings bought by preservationists, now includes many of Williamsport’s finest demonstrations of the area’s rich history.

“(That first year gave) us a chance to share the excellent craftsmanship of our forefathers in the building of these homes,” Young said. “So we decided to open about four or five houses. We also wanted to showcase the Historic District. I served on the Historical Architectural Review Board, who worked to have this designated. I have served on the board since 1976.”

Young said that first year was a great success.

“We ran out of tickets!” she said. “We handed out slips of paper. I put money in a muff I was carrying.”

In years to follow, the committee added fashion shows that included vintage wedding dresses and hats, held at Park Place. They added more houses of architectural merit and grew the committee by adding music and a decorating chair. Grants helped support their efforts and they soon invited others to get involved, including area churches.

According to Young, the district saw a shift of improvement when single family houses were bought by those attending Victorian Christmas, along with vacant houses and lots.

“The district changed and people were aware of these wonderful mansions and even worker’s houses,” she said.

Young notes that the “Men in Kilts” event was, perhaps, one of Victorian Christmas’ best events. It featured local Scottish families in a very amusing fashion show, she said. Children and students even were trained as docents and acted as hostesses.

The city’s transportation became involved and attendance now was peaking at 1,000, with hundreds working behind-the-scenes on the tour, from guides and florists, to musicians and homeowners. In fact, some of the homes needed 20-25 guides each.

This year’s event, “Lumber: Boom to Barons,” honors the time in which wealth was abundant in Williamsport — when the city was known as the greatest lumber-producing state in the nation. Williamsport, a centrally located city that held timber for miles in the cradle of the Susquehanna Log Boom Co., became known as “The Lumber Capital of the World.” Lumber barons built magnificent homes within walking distance of the Susquehanna, many of which have come to be included on the Victorian Christmas tour. “Williamsport’s Historic Lumber Era” will take place at 6 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Thomas T. Taber Museum, 858 W. Fourth St.

There is a cost for Victorian Christmas tickets for adults; children younger than 18 and students with a college ID are free. There is a fee to participate in some of the added festivities.

Tickets are available at the Community Arts Center, 220 W. Fourth St.; Genetti Hotel, 200 W. Fourth St.; and the Lycoming County Visitor’s Bureau, 102 W. Fourth St. On the day of the tour, tickets will be available at The Transportation Museum, 810 Nichols Place; at any of the homes on the tour; and at the Lycoming County Visitor’s Bureau.

Visit victorianchristmas ­pa.wor ­dpr­­ess.com/ for more informat­ion or buy tickets online at www.2016victorianchristmas.eventbrite.com.