Houses, history and harmony make an interesting combination — especially in Downers Grove.

Houses are a part of the village’s historical fabric, and the town’s history has been memorialized in song. Recently, there was a whole concert dedicated to the topic.

June kicked off with the Downers Grove Choral Society’s Heritage Concert, “A History of Downers Grove Through Song.” The event, which was at the Downers Grove Public Library, was sponsored by the Blodgett Legacy Partnership, Inc., with support from the Downers Grove Heritage Preservation Corp, the Historical Society and the History Museum, and several individuals.

Some of these participants helped narrate between songs, and some enjoyed the music from the audience. They included Susan Estall, Debbie Guptill, Shirley Hiddleston, Ann Miller, Christopher Jones, Helen Myers, Kimberly Thompson, Bob Jensen and Dee Wyman from the Choral Society, which helped coordinate the event. Don Wilson and Harold Gibson from DG-TV taped the program for later airing.

The program concluded with the presentation of Director Robert Holst’s original song, “Downers Grove,” which was sung by members of the Choral Society. On several previous occasions, residents and village officials heard another original song on the village, “Downers Grove — Home to Harmony,” sung by Jann Mochelle and arranged by Sharon West.

Jensen, one of the program supporters, is an expert on local history, and his knowledge extends to Sears Homes and do-it-yourself home kits in Downers Grove.

In other news...

• The 1846 Blodgett House, recently moved from its location on Randall Street to a spot on the History Museum’s property, has received its fair share of attention lately. The Blodgett Legacy Partnership Inc., group and the 1846 Blodgett House on the Move — now known as the Downers Grove Heritage Preservation Corp. — both have been very involved in the efforts to preserve the house and use it for educational purposes.

The Downers Grove History Museum building belonged to the Blodgetts. According to museum literature, Avis and Israel Blodgett built a log cabin on the site in 1892 before the 1846 house.

• A different kind of event that recently was in town involved much newer houses. The Dream Interiors and Andersen Homes House Walk 2008 was spearheaded by Marta Cullen of Dream Interiors and Joel Andersen of Andersen Homes. The walk involved a tour of four impressive houses, plus a lunch at Ballydoyle Irish Pub & Restaurant. Additional businesses involved in supporting the event included Art 4 Houses, Consider It Done, Maximum Printing and the Tivoli Theatre.

The homes were beautiful, and their owners — the LaVallie, Andersen, Van Vlymen and Murray families — were generous. What really made the event outstanding was that the event benefited Family Shelter Service, a new domestic violence shelter in Downers Grove.