Unlike other house tours, this will be limited to one special house. To stagger the number of people and afford a leisurely viewing experience, a limited number of tickets are being sold for half hour intervals.

The event is a fundraiser for the museum and will be the last chance to view DiMugno’s collection before he moves it to a new location at the shore. DiMugno has added considerably to the collection since the last public tour. For those who often pass his house on Alling Street and are curious about the vintage signs and gasoline pumps, this is a rare opportunity to get an inside look.

Recently featured in a colorful Yankee magazine spread, the collection draws world wide attention. It is soon to be filmed by Channel 3's Scot Haney who will air a segment on his Better Connecticut show. You may see snippets on TV and in Yankee, but the real treat is to see this liveable museum home in person.

DiMugno’s interest in Americana evolved out of his early interest in building bicycles and hot rods. Soon he was collecting old bicycles, toy planes, trains, advertising signs and gas station artifacts. Many objects have ties to local businesses. Walking into the kitchen, you are drawn back into a melded 1950s lunch counter, roadside diner, soda fountain and country store. Modern appliances are concealed behind closed doors and wood panels so nothing interrupts the visitor's sense of being transported back in time. A cathedral ceiling tops a room, with restaurant booths and a restored jukebox, where DiMugno entertains.

Horizontal wood ladders hang overhead suspending airplanes in flight. Glass display cases of treasured toys cover the walls. It’s impossible not to be filled with a sense of nostalgia and delight while reconnecting with so many objects from America's pop cultural past. The display continues throughout carefully landscaped gardens. While, for many, the thrill of collecting is a private pleasure, DiMugno takes joy in sharing it with others. When he offered the house as a fundraiser to the historical society, we jumped at the chance.

This is a tour that will appeal to both men and women. Well-behaved children are welcome, but must be closely supervised. In conjunction with the house tour, The historical museum, at the corner of Main and Peck Streets, Kensington, will be open until 5 p.m. for socializing, sharing homemade strawberry shortcake and viewing new exhibits.

Tickets can be purchased at the Historical Society Museum, 305 Main Street, Kensington on Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. The cost of the tour includes strawberry shortcake. For further information or tickets call Lorraine Stub at (860) 828-5281 or the museum at (860) 828-5114.