DECK THE HALLS — The Steubenville City Schools Board of Education office at 611 N. Fourth St. is one of the 13 homes currently listed as a destination on the Harmonium Project’s Downtown Steubenville Historic Christmas House Tour from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday. -- Christopher Dacanay

STEUBENVILLE — The Harmonium Project is presenting two upcoming events, proceeds from which will help bolster the 2025 Dean Martin Festival.

Nonprofit creator of the First Fridays on Fourth festivals, Harmonium will host Steubenville’s Big Christmas Party at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, followed by its annual Downtown Steubenville Historic Christmas House Tour from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Both events will raise funds to support next year’s Dean Martin Festival, which will take place between June 12 and 14. The festival is being organized by the Dean Martin Association, an international nonprofit sanctioned by Dean Martin himself and dedicated to promoting his legacy and career.

A celebration of the late Steubenville-born entertainer’s 108th birthday, the 2025 Dean Martin Festival promises various events, from concerts to a 5K. For the first time in the festival’s two-decade history, Harmonium will contribute its party-planning expertise to the effort, bringing a First Friday atmosphere through two-to-three days of outdoor music and food trucks.

To make that event possible, Harmonium is seeking the public’s financial assistance, said Executive Director Marc Barnes.

“We’re trying to get a head start on fundraising, which will mostly be paying for bands, musicians to come play in Steubenville,” Barnes said. “We’re hoping to make (the festival) a nationally recognized jazz festival. This is the first year in that direction. … With a name like Dean Martin, if you’ve got it, you should flaunt it.”

First of the two upcoming fundraisers is the Christmas party and concert. Festivities will begin at 6 p.m. with a potluck at Spyridon Studios, 189 N. Fourth St., after which guests will transfer to the third-floor ballroom at Leonardo’s Coffeehouse, 159 N. Fourth St.

For a $10 donation at the door, partygoers will be treated to dancing and music by a big band, performing holiday classics and jazz standards with guest vocalists. Parents can snag some free time upstairs while their children engage in a Christmas craft on the second floor.

Barnes said that many downtown businesses will be open during the party, meaning “It’ll be as much a good time on Fourth Street, generally, as in the ballroom.”

“I really like this event because it’s a great celebration of the Nutcracker Village,” Barnes said, noting that the party will “go till it’s over.”

Three days later will be the historic house tour, which is returning for its third year — one Barnes hopes will continue the event’s rate of growth and positive feedback. The tour will focus on Steubenville’s Historic North Fourth Street homes but extend beyond, granting tourists an intimate look into the city’s architecture.

Tickets are $20 for individuals and $25 for a couple. Those can be obtained in advance at BookMarx Bookstore, 181 N. Fourth St., during normal business hours or on the day of the tour at the Griesinger House, 847 N. Fourth St., from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The tour is self-guided and open house-style, so all homes will be open simultaneously, and tourists can spend as long as they want in each during the given timeframe. Refreshments will be provided throughout.

A booklet printed by Steubenville City Schools will inform tourists of each home’s location and history. Due to the homes’ historic nature, children are not permitted on the tour unless they are carried.

The 13 homes on this year’s tour include the Westfall House, 813 N. Fourth St.; Garrett House, 741 N. Fourth St.; Jefferson County Historical Association Museum, 426 Franklin St; Mansfield House of the Steubenville City Schools Board of Education, 611 N. Fourth St.; Powers Residence, 817 N. Fourth St.; McClave House, 737 N. Fourth St.; McCullough House, 842 N. Fourth St.; Grandview, also known as the Castle House, 848 N. Fourth St.; Beall House, 836 N. Fourth St.; Griesinger House, 847 N. Fourth St., and Lash House, 215 N. Seventh St.

Last-minute home sign-ups are welcome, Barnes said, though they may not be added to the booklet. Inquiries can be directed to the Harmonium Project Facebook page or theharmoniumproject@gmail.com.

Some homes, like the Kavanaugh’s on North Fourth Street, are actively being remodeled. Barnes said highlighting those homes is a way of displaying Steubenville’s ongoing downtown revitalization.

“A lot of the old houses have been purchased recently, to the point that people who want to live downtown can’t necessarily find a place because so many houses are being turned around, often by young families. It’s an exciting time.”

Barnes said that excitement extends to lifetime Steubenville residents who are pleased by the homes — their heritage — being cared for.

“In our tours, we we have a lot of elderly people of Steubenville come to these houses and say, ‘Oh, I played here when I was a kid’ or ‘I remember going to parties here when I was a teenager.’ They are so excited to see people caring for these houses, loving them and respecting their history again because, in a way, it’s like respecting Steubenville itself and all the people who lived here and grew up here.”