BOWLING GREEN, Mo. – People who didn’t get to see a decorative symbol of the holiday season will get a second chance.  The Honey Shuck Festival of Trees will be open from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, and Friday, Dec. 22, at the Champ Clark home in Bowling Green. There is no admission charge and tours of the historic house will be available. More than 260 people viewed the 17 trees during Bowling Green’s “Christmas in the Green” promotion Nov. 16 to 18. Honey Shuck Board Member Milan Berry suggested opening the home for two more dates. “We want those who were unable to join us for the Festival of Trees to have the opportunity to visit,” said Julie Leverenz, another Honey Shuck board member and organizer of the event. “The home will be beautiful in the evening, and we encourage families to celebrate the season with us. Most of the original 17 trees will still be up, but a few may be moved. Unlike at Christmas in the Green, there will be no voting for visitor favorites. However, donations will be accepted.

“The lights on each of the trees highlight their beauty,” Leverenz said. “Many merchants were working during Christmas in the Green and didn’t have the opportunity to run by. We hope these hours will give them the chance to stop in.”

Leverenz said Honey Shuck is “a community treasure” that especially shines during the holidays.

“Christmas is a wonderful time for family and friends to gather and enjoy one another and the rich history that lives on through Honey Shuck,” she said.

The house was built in 1888 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Clarks moved there in 1898. Champ died in 1921, but his wife, Genevieve, called it home until the 1930s. The couple’s children, Bennett and Genevieve, sold Honey Shuck in 1944. Congressman William Hungate bought it and in 1973 and turned operations over to the non-profit Champ Clark Honey Shuck Restoration Inc.