Suffolk News-Herald

Christmas holiday baking got started a couple of weeks early for Suzanne Pruitt and Hunter Duggan.

While most people were doing last minute shopping for Thanksgiving, the two Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society members spent the afternoon working magic with butter, flour and sugar. Pruitt and Duggan, with a little help from sons Dylan and Griffin respectively, spun the ingredients into fairytale confections of the best sort for the &uot;Sugar Plum Kitchen.&uot;

Oh, you didn’t know Suffolk had a Sugarplum Kitchen? In that case, you must check it out next week.

The confectionary, located in historic College Court, at the corner of Finney Avenue and North Main Street, is one of four bungalows included in the historical society’s 27th annual candlelight tour next week.

Visitors on the tour will visit four of the eight holiday-trimmed bungalows during the event, which will run from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 6-7. Tickets for the candlelight tour may be purchased at the Seaboard Station Railroad Museum before the tour or at College Court on the days of the tour.

Four years ago this historic landmark had fallen on hard times, but with the help of Garcia Development and the present homeowners, this area of downtown has been given new life.

There will be an exhibition of beautifully handmade quilts, and a display of period antiques from Main Street Antiques in the #310 bungalow.

There will also be an exhibit on the history of the Suffolk Female Institute, a facility for young ladies established in 1869 by Sallie Finney and her sisters. Finney Avenue, of course, is named for the family.

While visiting the Sugarplum Kitchen, be sure to check out the festive cookies and scrumptious candies and other holiday confections there for the offering.

&uot;These items can be purchased and they would make very tempting Christmas gifts,&uot; said Hunter Duggan, the co-chairman of the Candlelight Tour this year. &uot;We have Christmas cookies like pecan pralines, fudge, peppermint bark, and of course, since we live in Suffolk, there will be an abundance of peanut confections.&uot;