Porter County Builders bringing more garden to the show

In 1978, a few members of the newly formed Porter County Builders Association decided to put together a home and garden show to promote their members to the community.

Joe Clifford, of Clifford Stone, and Jim Kent, of Kent Heating and Air Conditioning, recall those early shows.

"That first year we had it at the Old Porter County Fairgrounds in the sheep shed and the hog pen," Clifford said. "We had it all set up and it rained the night before and we worked like crazy putting down planks for folks to walk on and pallets for the displays. There was about 3 inches of standing water."

He said they had eight or nine exhibitors and admission was free.

As Kent remembers -- in what he believes was the third year-- they rented a tent and had the show in what is now Kennedy Buick's parking lot. Once again it rained the night before the show. "The tent collapsed and once again we had to get pallets to put displays on," he says. "Then we had the first show at the new Porter County Fairgrounds. We had fun, for us those were exciting times."

Kent said back then he had to borrow a refrigerator because they were serving hot dogs and drinks. Admission was still free.

This year is the 32nd annual Porter County Builders Association's Home & Garden Show. And Jim Kent's son, Allen, of Kent Heating and Air Conditioning, is the chairman of the show, which is going to feature some big changes.

"We've tried to put more emphasis on gardens, gardening and landscaping this year," says Lisa Ritchie, a member of the show committee and co-owner of Border Magic of Northwest Indiana with her husband, Ray. "We listened to visitors asking 'Where's the garden at this home and garden show?'"

Ritchie says committee members decided to put more emphasis on garden than they had in the past.

"One of the problems is greenhouses in this area, generally, are not open during the winter but we found the Kingsma Nursery in DeMotte which operates a year-round greenhouse," Ritchie says. "We have been able to work with them so we can have flowers and herbs to sell at the show. There should be about 1,000 plants for sale. We also have some specialty vendors including Anything Orchids, Unique Bulbs and several companies with yard art."

Ritchie was also in charge of lining up free gardening seminars for the show and she found three diverse speakers.

At 11 a.m. March 6, Erica Stiscak, owner of Horses Landscaping Inc. of Valparaiso, presents "Xeriscaping with Natives." Xeriscaping refers to creating a landscape design that can withstand dry conditions and help conserve water.

At 1 p.m. March 6, Wayne Gruber, of Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell, will give a presentation on "The Affordable Landscape." He will highlight ways to cut corners without compromising your garden plans.

Finally at 1 p.m. March 7, Eric Bidinger, a nursery inspector with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, will explain how to effectively deal with the critters that attack your gardens with his seminar, "Uh Oh --- Irritating Garden and Landscape Pests and What You Can Do About Them."

But, of course, there has to be some "home" in this home and garden show and Allen Kent is extremely proud of the show the committee has put together.

"This home and garden show is the premier show in the area. We have 215 booths and 120 exhibitors and the show is sold out with a waiting list," Kent says. "We are emphasizing Mother Nature, conservation and environment."

Kent feels this is a great opportunity for the public to meet with trained professionals and get ideas for home improvements and new construction even if they don't plan to do them immediately.

With federal and state government tax incentives for specific products, now is a great time to consider remodeling and replacing things like window and water heaters to conserve energy. The beauty of the show is you have all this information in one place.

Kent says people should expect to find a wide variety of options at the show, including presentations of recent trends.

"This show is fresh and new and I am really excited about it," Kent says. "I had a great committee who donated countless hours of their time to make this show a success and I couldn't do it without them."

It's a far cry from those first shows but it is still a bargain today with a $5 admission fee ($2 off with the TIMES coupon on Page C3 or by bringing in nonperishable foods for Porter County’s food pantries) free for children 18 and younger and free parking. The show runs through Sunday and features hundreds of vendors representing builders, lenders, home improvement companies and others in the industry. Concession center by Gourmet Express is open during the entire show.

The 32nd annual Porter County Builders Association's Home & Garden Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 4; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 5 and 6; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 7

WHERE: The Porter County Expo Center, 215 E. Division Road, Valparaiso

COST: $5 admission, but receive $2 off with the TIMES coupon on Page C3 or by bringing in nonperishable foods for Porter County’s food pantries. Free for kids 18 and younger.

FYI: (219) 464-2944