Celebrating its 60th year the Canadian Home Builders Association of Northern B.C. presented its 41st Northern B.C. Home Show at the Kin Centres this weekend with more than 150 vendors on location.
"As of one o'clock Saturday, we had more people already come through the door than we had for the whole day at last year's Saturday of the Home Show," Terri McConnachie, executive director of the builders association, said. "So we had an incredible turnout."
McConnachie said she thinks the high attendance is because of the many months of extreme temperatures and the high volume of snow.
"Long winter, late spring and people just want to get out," McConnachie said. "People are just shaking off cabin fever and I've seen half the city here - I saw everybody I knew, and you can just stand in one spot and visit with all the folks and I think people really enjoy that."
Karly Fillion, husband, Jared, and two-year-old daughter, Eloise, were browsing products presented by vendors in Kin 1.
"We're not looking for anything in particular at the home show," Jared said, who just had a playroom done for Eloise by one of the vendors at the home show. "It's just a good excuse to get out and go for a walk.
Karly, who said the family came to last year's event, thought checking out the newly constructed playhouse just outside of Kin 1 was a good idea.
"This year's event is better than last year's," Karly added. Lots more to see and do, with a variety of vendors offering everything from hot tubs to decking, tractors to heated massaging car seats and even ladies' clothing and hair styling tools like blow dryers and curling irons.
Some of the highlights of what was up for grabs during the home show was the Crappy Closet Contest sponsored by Stor-X Organizing Systems, which offers a closet make over for the lucky winner. There were 10 finalists' photos on display at the atrium outside Kin 1 with a short story to explain what happened to each contestant's closets. A favourite proclaimed that he was a typical male who, when he bought his new house, didn't notice his bedroom didn't have a closet and is now unhappily storing his clothing in baskets along the wall where a closet might've gone.
He's the odds on favourite to get a closet created for free by Stor-X, a new franchise in town owned by Travers Rebman, who was one of the vendors at the home show. On display at his booth he demonstrated a neutral closet organized in a practical way and another more blinged-out closet more suited to be every woman's dream closet. Rebman said he was happy to sponsor the Crappy Closet Contest and is looking forward to helping the winner get the closet they need.
There was door prizes including a chain saw and a pair of Adirondack chairs on offer as well as a silent auction filled with birdhouses, a squirrel house and even a bat house.
The Rona Playhouse project was constructed on the Exhibition Park grounds and auctioned off Sunday afternoon with proceeds going to the Prince George Hospice Society.
Hawes Construction built a she-shed right next door to the playhouse, which was given away during a free draw at the end of the home show Sunday afternoon.
Part of Sunday's program included a free pancake breakfast for the community, sponsored by the local home builders' association.
McConnachie said she was thrilled with the attendance at the show.
"I want to thank Prince George for supporting the show to help celebrate the Canadian Home Builders Association 60 years in the north," she said.
