2012 HOME IMPROVEMENT AND GARDEN SHOW

Group hopes show fertile ground for ideas

Special attraction scheduled for each day of 3-day event

Adam Kreinbrink of Acu-Turf Toledo prepares to fill the man-made stream that surrounds a floating patio with a reverse waterfall display for the upcoming Home Improvement and Garden Show.

THE BLADE/LISA DUTTON
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Adam Kreinbrink of Acu-Turf Toledo prepares to fill the man-made stream that surrounds a floating patio with a reverse waterfall display for the upcoming Home Improvement and Garden Show.

Rick Morel wants people to feel inspired when they walk through the 2012 Home Improvement and Garden Show.

Ideas for sprucing up a yard, building a deck, or adding on to a home will be on display throughout the show. Many people are feeling the urge to go outside and improve their homes because spring is right around the corner, Mr. Morel said.

"It just opens up a person's mind to give them, 'Gee, I really would like that for my backyard. How do you do that?' " he said.

From left, Joe Baumann, Tiege Druckery, and Jake Wagner of Midwest Manufacturing put together the Mastercraft display. The show is to feature more than 175 exhibits covering about 75,000 square feet.

The show kicks off at 4 p.m. Friday at SeaGate Convention Centre in downtown Toledo and continues Saturday and Sunday. It is being put on by the Professional Remodelers Organization and features more than 175 exhibits covering about 75,000 square feet.

Mr. Morel, executive director of the organization, said more than 7,000 people are expected to attend this weekend. The show is designed to have a main attraction each day: former Detroit Tiger Lance Parrish will be there from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday; antique appraisers will be on hand from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, and Sasha Andreev of HGTV's Curb Appeal will speak with show-goers from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

"I don't like to think of this as a show. I like to think of it as an event," Mr. Morel said. "It's going to be a party more than anything else."

Adding the celebrity attractions and the antique appraisers hopefully will bolster the attendance by a couple thousand people, Mr. Morel said. This year's show was designed to have more energy than previous ones, he added.

Mr. Andreev said he plans to demonstrate three looks that work in one home. It shows how a space can be jazzed up in different ways.

"I sort of come up with some basic ideas to get started," he said. "A lot of times you just have to know the direction you are going to go in and start there."

David Rumpf, a contractor and remodeler based in Sylvania, said he'll showcase his customized decks and garage construction. Mr. Rumpf has been coming to the show for 26 years.

"It's an opportunity to show what you do and what you're good at," he said. "I work mostly on referrals.

"We do everything from small to tall. This show is the start of the season. Everyone is itching for winter to get out and for spring to get going," Mr. Rumpf said.

Contact Kris Turner at: kturner@theblade.com or 419-724-6103.