Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – The Kiwanis Home, Garden & Recreation Show – scheduled for April 19-20 at The Forum in Presque Isle – is celebrating its 25th anniversary. According to Kathie Beaulieu, show chairperson, this year’s event will feature a special appearance by Paul Parent, a gardening host on more than 35 talk radio stations.
“Paul will be at the WEGP booth from noon-8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday,” said Beaulieu. “He will also be giving a total of four gardening seminars, so there will be an area set up for that. The seminars are free, so we encourage people to come and get some good gardening tips.”
Parent’s seminars are at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday and noon and 3 p.m. Sunday.
Parent has been on the radio providing gardening advice to listeners in New England for the last 20 years. His expert gardening advice is now heard on stations all over the country with one-half million loyal listeners.
Other new and different components to this year’s show include a “Made in Maine” Market Place.
“We’ll have a Made in Maine section for food and craft vendors,” said Beaulieu. “We have about four vendors signed up, but we’re working to get some more. Vendors confirmed include the Silver Basket, Goddess Chocolates and Merry Moose Workshop.”
The Presque Isle Police Department will be on hand at the Kiwanis show, as well.
“They’ll be doing child fingerprinting, taser and K-9 drug and tracking demonstrations, and McGruff the Crime Dog will be there,” Beaulieu said. “The fire department will also have its fire safety house, so kids will be able to go in and practice the escape drill. Smokey Bear will be there with the Maine Forest Service, too.”
The show will feature a garden display, sponsored by Lowe’s.
“Greg Doak with Stone Art Landscaping is designing a nice garden area for us,” said Beaulieu. “At our Kiwanis booth, we will have plants and flowers for sale, so people can come in and buy a little bit of green to take with them since there isn’t much outside yet.”
The American Lung Association of Maine is sponsoring a chili cook-off.
“They’ll have a booth and they are challenging different businesses and organizations, like Kiwanis against the Rotary Club, to come in and enter the chili cook-off,” said Beaulieu. “Visitors can come in and purchase either a sample or a bowl of their favorite chili and vote for who they think should win. There will be a seating area there for people to sit down and have some chili. Proceeds will go to the American Lung Association of Maine.”
The Kiwanis Home, Garden & Recreation Show will also feature home improvement resources, recreation equipment, campers, boats, gardening ideas and products, and pools and spas.
“We have a good variety of exhibitors that are coming in,” said Beaulieu. “I think there’s definitely something for everyone. We have campers and boats, home improvement and gardening areas, as well as things for children. If people come to the show with their children, the kids have something to do and aren’t pulling the parents out before they’re ready to go.”
Since this is the 25th anniversary of the show, Beaulieu said organizers wanted to make the event even more special.
“The committee brainstormed ideas for the past nine months,” she said. “We wanted to come up with some different ideas and something to attract the community [to the show]. Because it has been 25 years, we wanted to feature something new and different, and add some life to the show. We wanted to try to find things of interest to the community that would draw them in and help get rid of some cabin fever.”
The Kiwanis Home, Garden & Recreation Show will be held from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, April 19 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, April 20 at The Forum. Admission is $3 while children 12 and under are admitted free.
The show will also feature a Feed the County Food Drive for Catholic Charities Maine.
“They’ll park their truck out front, and there will be a drop-off location inside the lobby,” said Beaulieu. “If people bring in a non-perishable food item, they will be given a special door prize ticket. Attendees’ admission ticket will be put in for one door prize, but if they bring in a food drive item, they’ll get another ticket for a separate door prize.”
For more information or to view the exhibitor list, log onto www.pikiwanisclub.homestead.com.
