Christmas at Concordia offers festive community events

Seward, NE (11/09/2018) — Christmas at Concordia Nov. 28-Dec. 2 will include two community events as part of Concordia University, Nebraska's annual Christmas celebration, featuring an open house on campus and the Scholarship Parade of Homes in and around Seward.

The open house is Wednesday, Nov. 28 from 6-8 p.m. at Weller Circle, with caroling with the Concordia Chamber Choir and a tree lighting at 6 p.m. The event is sponsored by Concordia University, Nebraska, and Cattle National Bank & Trust Company.

Community members are encouraged to participate in the 24th annual Scholarship Parade of Homes 12:30-4:30 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 2. The parade will feature homes owned by Jon and Tina Marroquin, Kyle and Allison Garrett Johnson, Aaron and Emily Nix, Greg and Shelly Mueller, and Larry and Susan Biel.

Proceeds from the annual event support high school students of Seward County who attend Southeast Community College in Milford, Nebraska, and Concordia University. Last year, the event raised $4,000 in scholarship awards that benefitted 23 Concordia students and four Southeast Community College-Milford students. The Scholarship Parade of Homes has raised more than $80,000 in cumulative scholarship funds since it began in 1995. The annual event is sponsored by Concordia and Cattle National Bank & Trust Company.

Tickets for the Scholarship Parade of Homes are $12 in advance and $15 day of. Advance tickets can be purchased online at christmasatconcordia.net, or in person at Concordia Alumni Office (Weller 206), SCC-Milford, Cattle National Bank & Trust, Jones National Bank & Trust Co., and Union Bank & Trust Co. Tickets may also be purchased on the day of the event for $15 in the Seward High School lobby or Concordia's Weller Hall lobby.

Additional information about the homes:

Jon and Tina Marroquin
202 Knotty Pine Lane
Jon and Tina Marroquin custom built their home in 2016. The dining room faces the Seward County line and looks out over uninterrupted fields, which will soon have the walking trail sweeping behind. At the center of the home is a wood burning fireplace that has stone work reaching to vaulted ceilings. The Marroquins are travel enthusiasts and mementos of their trips are on display throughout the house including African Safari animals, shark jaws, paintings and more.

Kyle and Allison Garrett Johnson
225 Knotty Pine Lane
Since Kyle and Allison got married, they have dreamed of building a new home together. In early 2017, they realized that the inventory of empty lots in their desired neighborhood were running low and started looking at their options. When they found a corner lot that would enable them to have a side-facing garage, they knew that they had better act quickly. The home, built by Underwood Construction, used an existing plan with several modifications to fit the couple's style. A bright yellow door greets visitors, who enter into a simple, open-concept layout on the main floor. The main floor also contains the master suite, which includes one of Allison's favorite features of the house: the upgraded master bath. Upstairs is the office and two bedrooms. Visitors will find that Kyle and Allison try to keep things simple when it comes to decor, with a modern, minimalist style.

Aaron and Emily Nix
1320 Sunrise Drive
Aaron and Emily Nix purchased their "Little Green House on Sunrise" after moving to Seward from Florida in 2013. True to the street it's named for, the home sits on a hill and is filled with natural light. The home's backyard offers excellent views of Seward's Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza as well as a wonderful play space for their children. Inside, the Nixes have updated the home from top to bottom. At Christmastime, Emily loves to decorate with antique and vintage Christmas decor, travel memorabilia, live greenery and family mementos.

Greg and Shelly Mueller
413 Ash Street
With the addition of selling kitchen cabinets and countertops in 2015, it became evident early on that the Muellers were outgrowing space for their business, Cornerstone Interiors. Having previously converted a portion of their business building to living space, they decided to do that again in their new location. This limited the amount of properties the Muellers were able to consider. After driving around Seward repeatedly looking for a potential business location, they spotted a gem in the rough. From the first walk through, they saw the potential of what this building could become. The Muellers have been unable to determine what the building was originally built for in 1890, but for many years it served as the home to Consumers Power, and most recently storage and office space to Celiac Sprue. They have been living in the space since January, and are loving every challenge in making it their home.

Larry and Susan Biel
239 N. 4th Street
Larry and Susan Biel purchased their home in August 2013 after returning from seven years living in Anchorage, Alaska. They fell in love with all the windows and the cozy front sitting room. At the time they purchased the home, it only had one very small bathroom. The Biels have since turned one of the bedrooms into their master bath and dressing room. The basement was unfinished at the time of purchase, but has been designed on a shoestring budget using Pinterest and being creative into what is now a space to spend time with their grandchildren. It has become their favorite place to be, whether it is just the two of them or with extended family. Visitors will find the home decorated in an eclectic style with the warmth of old wood lending its charm. The Biels have added a garage to the property, a new front entry and completed a major landscaping overhaul. The country kitchen in this home serves as the kitchen to the "Dial a Dessert" (at home bakery) creation and usually has the smell of cakes, cookies or cinnamon rolls wafting out of its windows. What the Biels love about their home is the simplistic charm and the memories they have created in the last five years.

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