If you have ever driven through the West Boulevard neighborhood and wondered, "What's the story behind that house?" you are invited to learn more about the historic district at the 33rd annual West Boulevard Summer Festival this weekend.

John Wagner, one of the organizers of the festival, says horse-drawn wagon tours will be a highlight of the weekend event. Tours will depart Wilson Park beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday and run through 4 p.m., and again Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. and going until 3 p.m.

"The narrators - including Jim Shaw, Dan Daly, Herb Cleveland, Jean Kessloff and Wayne Gilbert - will share some interesting details," Wagner said. "We have a haunted house on the tour, and there is the trained-cat story," he said.

The horse-drawn wagon tours will highlight about 25 homes in the historic Rapid City neighborhood, the oldest neighborhood association in South Dakota. A walking tour of 60 homes in the district is detailed in a tour book available at the hospitality booth at the festival this weekend.

"There is an amazing variety of architecture styles in the district," Wagner said, mentioning the Colonial Revival, neoclassical, Queen Anne, English Tudors and Craftsman styles, among others. "We want people to appreciate the value of historic homes, and how they have to be protected."

One stop on the tour features the two-story neoclassical-style home at 711 West Blvd. Built in 1908, the house is one of the best-preserved structures in the district. Researchers report in the walking tour book that one of the previous owners "hung by a rope from the chimney to paint the house chartreuse." The home is now yellow.

Among the many interesting stories behind the origins and history of the area's homes shared on the tour are at least two homes that were ordered from the Sears catalog, and details about the owners through the years. Many homes have undergone remodels or restorations, additions and reductions, as well as tragedies such as fire. Names familiar in Rapid City history - Dr. Valentine McGillycuddy, Tom Sweeney, Charles Buell, the Swanders and Surbecks - all lived in homes in the historic district.

Organizer Jane Holeton is in her 28th year of helping to organize the festival, and said this year's event includes something for everyone, from the dozens of vendor booths, activities for kids and, of course, a variety of food.

"Everything in the booths is handcrafted. We have jewelry, wooden items, rustic furniture, chainsaw carving, children's clothing, handmade clothing, candles, painting," Holeton said.

"Wildlife Experiences Inc. is going to bring 52 different kinds of birds," she said. "For kids, we have a jumping castle, paint-your-own ceramics and a Ferris wheel. The Rapid City Police are bringing their canine drug dogs. We have all kinds of entertainment and it is free."

For more information on the West Boulevard Historic District, go to www.wbnaonline.com. There you will find a link to a slideshow on YouTube, "Rapid City Historic Slideshow," which features historical photos of many of the homes still standing today.