The community of Loma Portal is shoring up support for the Loma Portal Elementary school music program by featuring 10 homes during the fourth annual Loma Portal Home and Garden Tour on Saturday, May 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All the homes on the tour lie within the Loma Portal community. A $20 donation per person for the tour will directly benefit Loma Portal Elementary’s music program and help pay for teacher salary and supplemental materials, said tour co-chair Candy Szalay. Szalay said she hopes to raise thousands for the school’s music program. “If we don’t make enough money, we don’t get to have [a music program] and there’s no glimmer on the horizon that funding will be increased,” Szalay said. “So it’s an even more critical issue than in past years.” The tour features several remodeled homes, ranging from some built in the early 1900s to modern, environmentally-friendly renovations, Szalay said. Neighbor and parent Kate Lubsen said she’s glad “to showcase a family home for four kids.” Lubsen recently expanded her “California Prarie-style” home. “It’s exciting, I think,” said Lubsen. “But with a young family, it’s hard to be on a tour because the house doesn’t stay clean for five minutes.” Another home on the tour features an environmentally-friendly message. It’s the home of Malia Pfister, which is insulated with denim, has a floor recycled from an old college gymnasium floor and runs primarily on solar energy — which saves the Pfisters money. Though installing the photovoltaic energy system cost about $16,000 after government rebates, the Pfisters’ energy bill cost under $100 for all of last year. “We love that it’s helping Loma Portal Elementary, but our goal is also to educate the public on simple things people can do to be smart and think of their environmental impact,” Pfister said. The entire tour of homes occurs within a few blocks of Loma Portal Elementary and shows off the interior and exteriors of homes within the tightly-knit community. Tickets for the tour are on sale at the school (3341 Browning St.), where tour supporters will receive a map and tickets to tour the homes and gardens of the neighborhood.