A home built by JW Custom Homes.

Summer is parade season – and not just on Memorial Day, July Fourth, and during the innumerable small-town bean/bacon/broiler festivals. It’s also time for the Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association’s Parade of Homes, which – unlike your standard summertime parade – is about real-estate eye candy for adults, not tooth-rotting candy for kids.

As it has for 40 years, the parade will give members of the public the opportunity to feast their eyes on the “latest and greatest” techniques and ideas in home building, says Jennifer Johnson, executive officer of the association. “The whole purpose of the event is to showcase the talents and the skills of our builders,” she explains.

This year’s parade includes 18 homes constructed by 16 builders throughout the region. Most are in the Eau Claire and Altoona area, but other are scattered around the Chippewa Valley, from Holcombe to Menomonie to Weyerhaeuser. Because of the geographic distribution, the parade runs Saturday, June 7, through Saturday, June 14 – giving ticket holders a weekend and a half to check out all the homes if they wish.

The parade has grown from relatively humble roots in 1975 when the home builders group held what was then called Homes on Parade. That year, there were only six homes on display, all of them located in the same subdivision. Over the course of four decades, featured parade homes have grown in size, number, and design (images from the original parade brochure depict familiar suburban ranch-style homes), but certain features have stayed remarkably consistent, Johnson notes. “Energy efficiency has always been trendy in parade homes – whether windows, heating and cool mechanicals, or appliances,” she says. In addition, she adds, low-maintenance or maintenance-free exteriors, well-designed master suites and kitchens, and woodwork all remain popular.

BLAST FROM THE PAST. This bi-level built by Pabich Homes was part of the very first Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association Parade of Homes (then called the Home Parade) in 1975.

Costs and styles have changed, however. The 2014 parade features homes priced between $200,000 and more than $1 million – all of them built within the past 12 months and none occupied. (This year, all are single-family homes, although in past years the parade has included twin homes and condominiums as well.)

While a range of architectural styles are represented, revivals of the mid-century Mission and Craftsman styles are particularly popular in this year’s parade, Johnson said. Expect an emphasis on clean lines and natural elements such as wood and stone, as well as wide eaves, exposed joists and rafter tails, and open, covered porches. In addition, some of this year’s homes include larger, chef-style kitchens, while others have designated spaces for pets.

For the first time this year, the builders association is using a (roughly) real-time blog to share the parade home construction process – from start to finish – with the public. My Next Home is building a lakeside home near Weyerhaeuser that will be part of the parade, and the progress – from design, to excavation, to (most recently) building the framework – has been explained with the help of numerous photos and detailed descriptions. (Check it all out online at cvhbaparadehome2014.wordpress.com.)

While the parade serves as a fundraiser for the home builders group, it’s primarily a way for house-hungry Chippewa Valleys to whet their architectural appetites – whether they want to buy, build, or remodel. “(The parade) gives the community an opportunity to walk into these homes and see what’s being featured and see up close what our members offer,” Johnson adds.

40th Annual Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association Parade of Homes • Saturday, June 7-Saturday, June 14 • various locations • tickets $6 in advance, $8 during the parade, available at eastside and westside Menards and Mega Foods locations, as well as at the CVHBA office, 4319 Jeffers Road, Suite 200, Eau Claire • (715) 835-2526 • www.cvhomebuilders.com