Gov. Malloy: You're invited to my house

HARTFORD — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and First Lady Cathy Malloy are inviting Connecticut residents to attend the annual open house and tour of the governor’s residence, 990 Prospect Ave,, which will be decorated for the holiday season and open to the public.
This year’s open house will be held:
‰ Friday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
‰ Saturday, Dec. 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
‰ Sunday, Dec. 9, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
There is no admittance fee and tickets are not needed. However, visitors are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy, which will be collected by members of the U.S. Marines for the Toys for Tots program.
Additionally, the governor’s residence is ADA-accessible.
Tours will be aided by about 30 volunteer docents, some of whom have volunteered for over 20 years. The residence will display four decorated Christmas trees and feature appearances from Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, greeting children throughout the weekend. 
Live entertainment will be performed by the following:
‰ Dec. 7, 10 a.m. – U.S. Coast Guard Glee Club
‰ Dec. 8, 10 a.m. – Erin Vivero, Flute Quartet
11 a.m. – Bandstand, Barbershop Quartet
1 p.m. – Singer Catherine A. Quirk
‰ Dec. 9, 12 p.m. – Hall High School Choir (West Hartford)
1:30 p.m. – Conard High School Solo Choir (West Hartford)
While at the open house, guests may also purchase the governor’s annual holiday ornament, which this year features the limestone lion’s head fountain located on the south side of the property. It will be sold for $20, and all proceeds will benefit the Governor’s Residence Conservancy, a nonprofit organization responsible for planning and supervising the preservation, restoration and maintenance of the residence and its grounds.
This is the 22nd year that holiday decorations — including wreaths, Christmas trees and seasonal plants — have been donated to the residence at no cost to the state. This year, those generous donations come from the Connecticut Nursery & Landscape Association, the Connecticut Greenhouse Growers Association and the Connecticut Christmas Tree Growers Association.
Those with additional questions about the open house should email Carol.Oshea@ct.gov or call 860-524-7355.  Information about the history of the governor’s residence can be found on the governor’s website.

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed.