By Tom Grace
COOPERSTOWN _ Otsego Manor residents are raffling off an elegant Victorian doll house to raise money for their activities fund.
The nine-room miniature mansion, complete with bay windows and gingerbread trim, is produced by Greenleaf Dollhouses of Schenevus and was assembled by certified nursing assistant Rose Norton.
The front is clapboarded with a classic street view; the rear is cut open to show the interior.
Nursing-home resident Phyllis Koepke oversaw the project and is the driving force behind the campaign to raise money.
``We like to go to the theater and occasionally out to dinner,'' she said Thursday in the Manor's lobby. ``We like to go for rides, too, sometimes around the lake _ but these things have a cost.''
To pay for their outings, the residents of Rolling Hills and Mountain Ridge, two of the Manor's five neighborhoods, are banking on a blue, white and brown miniature three-story home that a lucky ticket holder will win.
``We've sold some tickets and hope to sell a lot more,'' Koepke said. ``Tickets are $2 apiece or six for $10.''
The exterior of this little house is wood, not plastic, and detailed furnishings were donated by Gail Morey of Oneonta.
The chairs, tables, dressers, lamps, even a rocking horse in the nursery, are finely detailed and by themselves worth about $600, she said.
``My sister went to school with Gail, so I knew she was the person to talk to about this,'' Koepke said. ``This was a wonderful gift.''
Norton said this is the third doll house she has built, a task that took about a year.
Nursing home administrator Ed Marchi said he was proud of the residents and staff who collaborated on the project.
``I think it's wonderful,'' he said.
Darwin Davis, a social worker at the Manor, said that while many deserved credit for the creation and campaign, Koepke was in charge.
``We call her `the mayor' _ Mayor Phyllis,'' she said.
Koepke said that on Dec. 16, she will place all the tickets in a box and pull out the lucky number.
``We're doing it then so someone will have it in plenty of time for Christmas,'' she said.
For more information, call the Otsego Manor at 544-2600.
