New B&B opens in Norwalk

Owner has local roots

By KAREN PARKER | County Line Editor

Ask Shirley Vitcenda what drew her to the stately house at 210 E. South St. in Norwalk, and she will tell you its size was the allure.

“I love big, old homes with lots of rooms,” she said.

Donnie and Shirley Vitcenda will open a bed and breakfast in Norwalk. (County Line photo)

But a retired couple doesn’t need all of those rooms. Consequently, she and husband Donnie toyed with the idea of opening a rooming house. But the prospect of people underfoot 24/7 and the state requirement to install separate men’s and women’s bathrooms turned the couple’s thoughts to a bed and breakfast instead.

That dream has become a reality since the couple took ownership in late February, after selling their home in New Lisbon. Many hours and days of elbow grease later, they are ready to hold an open house for the community and their fellow members in the Sparta Chamber of Commerce. The ribbon cutting is slated for 6 p.m. Thursday, July 19.

The Vitcendas were fortunate in that the property had been a funeral home for decades and the upstairs bedrooms were untouched. Beautiful original woodwork gave them an opportunity to create bedrooms that reflect a more elegant era in home décor.

The Queen Anne Victorian was built in 1902 and is just two blocks from the Elroy-Sparta State Trail. Three bedrooms have been restored and are ready for guests. A fourth will likely become a sitting room, and the Vitcendas will use the fifth, and largest. Each room is named for one of the towns on Elroy-Sparta State Trail.

A bedroom downstairs will be converted to a music room for Donnie, who performs a one-man-band act. He and his late wife Kathy were part of a group known as Patchwork and could be heard in the 1970s at Larry’s Bar in Ontario and many other venues in the area.

Donnie is a native of Valley and the son of Paul Vitcenda, a Valley businessman. Before retirement, he worked at Brunner Manufacturing in Elroy as a tool and dye maker and most recently installed floors, a job he still does occasionally.

He and Shirley married two years ago, and their combined family consists of five children, 15 grandchildren and a few assorted great-grandchildren.

Shirley’s experience in hotel management should come in handy in their new enterprise.

“There are many more things we plan to do to keep improving this property for both our personal use and our business. But it all takes time,” Donnie noted.

One of the next projects will be a deck where guests can relax and perhaps even chat with the Vitcenda’s cockatiel. Lucky guests might also get a personal serenade from Donnie.

Each room has DirectTV and DVD players. All rooms are air-conditioned and smoke-free.

Bed and breakfasts are in short supply along the bike trail, so the Vitcendas are hoping many guests will find their door and the warm welcome that awaits them.

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