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Volunteers earn Hog Reeves honor

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HAMPTON FALLS — The tireless efforts of a pair of dedicated Hampton Falls volunteers have not gone unnoticed, and it is their commitment to taking on countless beautification projects that spurred town officials to nominate them to the office of hog reeves.

Receiving the honor were Jack Fermery and Pam Fitzgerald, whose projects around town have included landscaping and planting flowers on the grounds of Town Hall and the town common, putting up Christmas decorations at the gazebo, and landscaping around the rebuilt Old Stage Road covered bridge.

The official swearing-in took place during the town’s recent deliberative session, with Town Clerk Holly Knowles conducting the ceremony. Although Fitzgerald was unable to take part due to illness, Fermery was there with his wife Carol, and accepted the traditional hog reeves badge.

The announcement, made at the meeting by selectmen Chairman Richard McDermott and former Town Moderator Tim Samway, came as a surprise to the recipients, who offered their thoughts a few days after residents voted them into office by a show of hands.

“I was completely surprised,” said Fermery. “Richard McDermott said ‘come on down’ to the meeting, but he didn’t say I was going to get anything. I’m very appreciative that they did that.”

“I’m so glad they looked in (our) direction. It’s definitely an honor,” said Fitzgerald, adding that she would have been “thrilled to be able to stand next to Jack” at the ceremony had she been able to attend.

The office of hog reeve dates back many years in Hampton Falls history to the March Town Meeting in 1811, when voters elected a moderator, selectmen and a road agent in addition to hog reeve.

Upon being sworn into office, the hog reeves were charged with enforcing the laws that forbid farmers from allowing their swine to run loose, as well as rounding up any swine that went astray and bringing them to the pound. It was a necessity, as roving hogs had the potential of destroying farmers’ crops.

According to Samway, “Hampton Falls has kept that office and that tradition, but for the past 70 years or so it has changed to an honorary position. But it’s still a very important elective position in our town.”

He said the tradition has been, and will continue to be, to nominate and vote for the office of hog reeve at the annual deliberative session.

Typically, a married couple (often newlyweds) who are new residents in town are the ones nominated to serve, so electing the unmarried team of Fermery and Fitzgerald breaks town tradition somewhat. But there’s a good reason for that.

Their election to the office serves to “acknowledge them as special volunteers in Hampton Falls. We see their work every day; (it) is one of the reasons our town is special,” said McDermott. “We see their work, but we rarely see them. They stay under the radar because they would rather do their work unnoticed. Well, it is noticed, and we want to publicly thank them.”

The newly-elected officers have a number of notable predecessors.

“There have been a lot of big names in town,” Fermery said. “I’m in pretty good company.”

Those individuals include current Wall Street CEO Paul Montrone and his wife Sandra; former N.H. Gov. Wesley Powell and his wife Beverly; interim Town Administrator Lori Ruest and her husband Bob; Selectman Chuck Graham and his wife Kay; and John H. Sununu and his wife Nancy.

“Mr. Sununu now lists on his resume that he was governor of New Hampshire, chief of staff in the Bush White House and was elected hog reeve in Hampton Falls,” said Samway, who noted the office of hog reeve is “still a very important elective position in our town.”

As far as their volunteer team is concerned, Fermery and Fitzgerald have nothing but good things to say about one another.

“He’s a wonderful man,” said Fitzgerald. “He voluntarily goes along and does the work (and) has great ideas. He’s a peach.”

“Pam really does a great job, too,” said Fermery, estimating that the investment in volunteer time “has been 10 years, maybe more than that by now. The years have gone by fast.”

Noting that “there is much more even behind the scenes that we never see, let alone hear about,” McDermott called Fermery and Fitzgerald “the epitome of volunteerism” — a high-level distinction that’s more than easy for them to bear.

“It’s a privilege,” said Fitzgerald, “to do these things for Hampton Falls.”

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Rubbing Alcohol Uses: Ideas For Using The All-Purpose Household Cleaner

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From Networx’s Chaya Kurtz:

I discovered the wonders of rubbing alcohol as a cleaning agent myself, when I tried using an alcohol pad to remove the label from a glass jar. You know the sticky goo that is left over when you remove the paper label from a glass jar? I found that rubbing alcohol took it off with minimal elbow grease.

Although it’s not perfect for every cleaning job (hello, washing dishes), rubbing alcohol is a fairly cheap and relatively environmentally-friendly solution to some tough cleaning challenges. Most people keep a bottle of it in the bathroom, and if you don’t it would behoove you to keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol in stock for cleaning tasks. One of its more attractive attributes is how fast rubbing alcohol evaporates. Although it has that initial “hospital” smell, rubbing alcohol evaporates quickly and does not leave a lingering odor, unlike vinegar. It is also suitable for cleaning surfaces that cannot be cleaned with acids, such as granite counter tops.

Although rubbing alcohol off gasses quickly, prolonged exposure to isopropyl alcohol fumes is not recommended. Bear in mind that it’s not drinkable, and should be stored out of reach of children. Also, do not use rubbing alcohol to clean near open flames or near extreme heat; it’s flammable. With all that said, here are ten ways to use rubbing alcohol around the house.

List and captions courtesy of Networx

Loading Slideshow

  • DIY Granite Cleaner

    The always charming blogger Made From Pinterest described her success making a href=”http://www.madefrompinterest.net/2013/02/13/diy-granite-cleaner/”DIY granite cleaner/a out of rubbing alcohol, dishwashing soap, water, and essential oil. Since acidic cleaning agents can cause pock marks in granite, and ammonia-based cleaners can strip the seal off of them, rubbing alcohol solutions are an inexpensive, effective way to clean granite counter tops.

  • Remove Nail Polish From Wood Floors

    I am not sure how frequently people spill nail polish on laminate floors or wood floors, or how often a href=”http://floors.networx.com/”flooring contractors/a get called to repair wood that nail polish has spilled on. Apparently it happens enough that blogger Anna Mosely posted a tip on Hometalk.com about a href=”http://www.hometalk.com/509164/how-to-remove-nail-polish-from-hardwood-amp-laminate-floors”how to use rubbing alcohol to remove nail polish stains from wood/a or laminate floors. She claims (with pictures!) that it works better than acetone or oil-based substances.

  • Clean Garden Tools

    Plant diseases can be transmitted from one plant to the next by garden tools. Four Season Garden and Landscaping, a a href=”http://www.landscapingnetworx.com/landscapers/GA/Atlanta/”landscaping company in Atlanta/a, suggests a href=”http://www.hometalk.com/48598/tips-for-pruning-you-probably-do-a-really-good-job-putting-away-your-tools-between”disinfecting garden tools like pruners/a with rubbing alcohol when changing between plants.

  • Clean Windows With Rubbing Alcohol

    Whether you use it mixed simply with water, or mixed into a custom DIY a href=”http://www.networx.com/article/window-washing-advice-from-a-window-wash”window cleaning/a solution, rubbing alcohol cleans windows like a champ. There are more rubbing alcohol window cleaning ideas out there than I can link to. Google it and find one that looks good to you.

  • Clean Venetian Blinds With Rubbing Alcohol

    Reader’s Digest suggests a href=”http://www.rd.com/home/12-ways-to-use-rubbing-alcohol/”cleaning Venetian blinds with rubbing alcohol/a. They say you can easily remove dirt and dust by wrapping a paint scraper in a cloth, securing the cloth with a rubber band, and dipping the cloth into rubbing alcohol.

  • Clean Your Cell Phone With Rubbing Alcohol Pads

    a href=”http://gizmodo.com/5954598/your-smartphone-is-basically-a-poopstick”Your smart phone is a basically a poop stick/a. I personally clean my smart phone with rubbing alcohol pads, you know, the ones that diabetics use to prep their fingers with before doing home blood tests. Rub an alcohol pad or two over the surface of your smart phone, then let it dry. Buff off the weird white film that it will leave with a paper towel. Alcohol prep pads are very handy to keep around for small cleaning jobs like this.

  • Bust Grime And Sticky Goo With Rubbing Alcohol

    Sometimes it is enough to rub an alcohol pad on sticker goo. For bigger jobs, soak the goo-covered object in a bowl of rubbing alcohol, then scrub with a scrub pad. The label goo should slide right off.

  • Clean A Pipe

    Apparently, people still smoke pipes. If you are inclined to look and smell like Sherlock Holmes and your pipe cleaner isn’t cutting the mustard, quite a few a href=”http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/rubbing-alcohol-to-clean-pipes”commenters in the Pipes Magazine/a forum suggest cleaning a pipe with rubbing alcohol.

  • Remove Permanent Marker With Rubbing Alcohol

    Rubbing alcohol is a decent solvent for permanent marker graffiti. Rub a cloth saturated in rubbing alcohol on the permanent marker graffiti from wood surfaces.

  • Clean Electronics With Rubbing Alcohol

    Crunchy Betty, an experienced DIY cleaning product maker for both home and body, posted a a href=”http://www.crunchybetty.com/how-to-crystal-clean-your-electronic-screens-for-pennies”detailed article on how to clean computers with rubbing alcohol/a. You basically make a spray of rubbing alcohol and distilled water, and you spray it onto a soft cloth and then gently wipe the screen. Never spray directly onto electronic equipment, and only use distilled water in the solution.

  • Also On The Huffington Post…

    Some of the tech gadgets we use everyday have more bacteria than a toilet seat. John Basedow has the dirty truth about our computer keyboards, cell phones and remote controls, along with what can be done to clean them up.

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Black Hills students go Hollywood

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There were boards to cut, backdrops to paint, and plenty of plants and trees that still needed to be purchased. But Black Hills High School advanced horticulture students felt confident last week that their 10-by-10-foot display garden would be ready for the Northwest Flower Garden Show, which opens Wednesday at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle.

“I think it will be pretty good,” said senior Alexis Guy, 17. “I’m hoping we will win.”

The 900-student Tumwater school has brought home numerous first-place ribbons and other awards from the show during the past decade, said horticulture teacher Roger Bessey. It’s usually the only Thurston County school to participate in the show’s high school competition.

Black Hills students designed their display around this year’s show’s Hollywood theme. It includes an old movie projector, some lights, a set of director chairs, and a gazebo that was built in the style of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

“We’re going to have a red carpet,” said Bessey.

In addition to movie props, the display garden also was set to feature nursery-bought roses, daffodils, kalanchoe and a palm tree.

“It’s Hollywood, you’ve got to have a palm tree,” Bessey said with a laugh.

The garden’s budget was roughly $1,000, he said. Most of the money was raised by the horticulture program’s plant sales, he said.

Some of the garden’s items, including the projector, were loaned to the school for the project; others were picked up at thrift stores.

A lot of the materials were reused from previous projects as well, said Black Hills education assistant Rena Nichols.

In addition to participating in the Northwest Flower Garden Show, advanced horticulture students also work in the school’s organic garden, which raises food for South Sound food banks and the school’s kitchen.

This spring, students also will design and install landscaping in the school’s courtyard, Nichols said.

“They do a lot of hands-on planning and drawing out landscaping ideas,” she said. “They’re learning a lot about scale.”

Advanced horticulture is a one-year class and is part of Black Hills’ Career and Technical Education program. Students can receive science credit for the class, and the goal is to give kids some skills so they can get a job in the landscaping industry right out of high school, if they want to, Bessey said.

Several students said they enjoy the class because they can spend time outside, work with their hands and participate in the flower show.

“It’s actually kind of fun,” said junior Markus Aviles-Vidales, 17. “If you’re working, it goes by really fast.”

See the garden

What: The Northwest Flower Garden Show, featuring display gardens, classes, vendors and entertainment.

When: 9 a.m.–8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Washington State Convention Center, 800 Convention Place, Seattle.

Tickets at the door: $20 for adults; $5 for ages 13-17; free for 12 and younger.

Information: gardenshow.com or 253-756-2121.

Lisa Pemberton: 360-754-5433 lpemberton@theolympian.com theolympian.com/edblog @Lisa_Pemberton

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CU-Boulder’s New Venture Challenge provides a chance for businesses to bloom

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New Venture Challenge

Registration deadline is Wednesday at 5 p.m. Visit cunvc.org for more information.

The University of Colorado’s New Venture Challenge is encouraging the campus community to turn dreams into realities through entrepreneurship — along with more than $10,000 in prize money.

The CU-Boulder’s New Venture Challenge (CUNVC) is a campus-wide a business competition, hosted by the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, allowing local business-minded students, faculty or residents to pitch business plans to investors.

Matthew Burns, director of the CUNVC, said a goal of he challenge is to connect teams to mentors — some are CU professors and many of them are community professionals.

“Some teams that come in the door have more experience than others,” said Burns. “They may have already taken steps to make them into a business, but its really more of a launch-pad for teams that have ideas that they want to turn into a business but haven’t really done that yet.”

A stipulation, Burns said, is at least one member of each team must be a student, faculty, or staff member at CU.

Throughout the challenge the NVC organizes workshops and speakers, said Ogheneovo Dibie, co-founder of last year’s winning team, Rideorama.

“(Speakers) talk on specific topics, like teambuilding or pitching ideas,” said Dibie.

Although workshops have already begun, last-minute entries can still be competitive, Burns said.

CU junior and NVC participant Fletcher Richman said the workshops are an educational way to learn how to build a business from the ground up.

“I think it’s one of the coolest things that happens on campus,” said Richman, who is competing this year for the second time. “The energy and some of the ideas are just awesome.”

CU graduate Bryant Mason, who won his division and second place overall in 2012, said the challenge was “one of the most critical things” in helping his business move forward

“(The New Venture Challenge) was one of the most important things in my success to this day,” Mason said.

The prizes, provided by local sponsors, also provide extra incentive.

Last year’s winners, Boulder airport ride-share company Rideorama, collected $8,000. Dibie said his team split half of the winnings among one another and used the other half to invest in the company’s website.

Mason’s team, The Urban Farm Company, won $6,000 that he used to buy landscaping tools and lease a truck for his company.

All three participants who were interviewed said it was a great experience and would do it again if they had the chance.

“We have 29 teams right now and I’m hoping to have around 50,” Burns said.

Registration deadline is Wednesday at 5 p.m. Find out more information at cunvc.org.

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Koch: Part-time can be profitable

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profitable hobbies

Keep on the go with profitable hobbies if you’re made part time.
Source: Supplied




ABOUT 30 per cent of all Australian jobs are part time.


The “part-timing” of the Australian workforce has been ongoing for a decade but has picked up pace during the global financial crisis as bosses cut back the hours of staff rather than retrench them.

While that is good news for our national unemployment rate (that is one of the lowest in the developed world), it hides a legion of Australian workers who are underemployed.

Yes they have a job but are not working the hours, or earning the dollars, they want or need to live comfortably.

It could be one of the major reasons why retailers have found trading conditions so tough. While unemployment is so low, underemployment has squeezed the income stream of the average family.

So the focus for many is how to plug the hours and income gap. Here are some ideas.

Talk to the boss

The decision to cut back hours, depending on the size of the business, can often be an across-the-board decision that initially doesn’t take into account the circumstances of individual staff members.

The reality is some staff may be happy to wind back their involvement even further while others need to keep the hours up to pay bills. So chat among your colleagues to try and find anyone who’s happy to work shorter hours. Then approach the boss, explain your need for more work, your colleague’s desire for less, and offer to take up the slack.

Even if you can’t find that colleague, still talk with the boss and explain your circumstances and willingness to work more. If business picks up, you’ll be top of mind.

Plan your week

A critical trap is to waste those cut-back hours and just absorb them into your daily routine. Have a clear idea of how many hours you need to fill and note all the gaps in your week that have opened up for new work opportunities.

Write out a weekly work timetable and make it a job to fill those free hours.

Visually seeing your working week makes it easier to focus. It’s all about having a grip on time management.

Network

Let people know you’re available for work. Most jobs are never advertised, they’re filled by word of mouth. So get the mouth working.

Don’t hide your reduced work circumstances from friends and relatives.

Explain your predicament and willingness to work casual, part time or even full time if the right opportunity arose.

Sell yourself on your Facebook page, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly word gets around and offers appear.

Learn new skills

The cutback in hours could be an early warning that your employer, or the whole industry, is in long-term decline. Assess the prospects of your current job and, if they’re bleak, start reskilling for something with more potential.

Freelance

Some job seekers are opposed to anything that’s not a full-time job. If this sounds like you, it’s time to change your tune. Freelancing is a great way to boost your skills, resume, portfolio, professional network, income, and confidence.

Many industries now hire people on a project-by-project basis rather than for a specific time a week.

For example, in the media, construction, landscaping or corporate events sectors, there are a whole range of options that may suit you.

Start your own business

Begin with hobbies you love. Do gardening for neighbours, craft pieces for sale in local shops, cook for market stalls, perhaps babysitting, dog walking or house minding.

Start with an open mind and an enthusiasm to embrace change. Talk to family and friends about opportunities they see in their life.

We know a bloke who works two days a week visiting people’s homes to help them with their IT problems, from getting the PC to work to hooking up the home theatre system.

Maximise benefits

A cut in hours and income can mean changes to tax payments and suddenly entitle you to government benefits from which you were previously excluded. For more details, go to humanservices.gov.au and check whether you’re eligible.

COPING WITH LOST HOURS

* Be positive.

* Have an open mind.

* Don’t be ashamed of what has happened.

* Get organised.

* Adjust the budget in line with income.

—

[SUPER SUCKERS]

THE Federal Government and Coalition seem to view superannuation as their river of tax gold to fix any fiscal deficits.

They’ve been signalling potential changes, from introducing a tax on payouts more than $1 million to ending the contribution tax rebate for low income earners.

They say we have the most generous super system in the world and the billions of dollars in super tax concessions is over the top. But is it? Investment consultants Mercer says no.

They studied nine developed countries and found the US, Britain, Canada and the Netherlands had more generous retirement systems than ours.

Mercer measured the tax concessions for an individual saver on an average wage.

A full-time Australian worker on an average wage and working for 40 years would benefit from tax concessions worth $265,700. By comparison, an equivalent British worker receives 16.4 per cent ($45,500) more.

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Fabick CAT Announces 2013 Landscaping Industry Days

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landscaping@fabickcat.com.

Region: Midwest Edition | StoryID: 19839 | Published On: 2/16/2013

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Home show vendors say business is slowly rebounding

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Linda Cahill is an avid HGTV watcher. She particularly likes the Property Brothers.

The charming TV duo helps families buy and renovate tired homes. And you simply can’t watch “Property Brothers,” Cahill mused, if you don’t have granite countertops.

She set out to change that shortcoming in her own home Saturday and found a few vendors to choose from at the Eastern Pennsylvania Spring Home Show at Allentown’s Agri-Plex. The show brings together companies specializing in custom cabinets, pools and spas and other home products and services.

Linda and John Cahill came looking for ideas to update the 18-year-old brick colonial they built atop a hill in Klecknersville, north of Bath. Perhaps granite countertops, she said. Or a new driveway, he added.

Rick Hauler of Penn Windows, Doors and Siding is used to the kitchen vendors being the belle of the ball. People want a new kitchen or a renovated bathroom they can show off, whereas energy-efficient replacement windows aren’t the most glamorous part of home improvement, he said.

While there were signs of the economy’s comeback in the people at the show who, like the Cahills, were looking to spend money on renovations, real economic recovery would have drawn crowds to Hauler’s display as well, he and his wife, Beth, noted.

After holding off on home improvements for a few years, homeowners are looking to splurge not on practical new windows but on vanity projects, Beth Hauler said.

Back-to-back mild winters were bad for the Haulers’ business too, cutting down on the cold drafts that remind homeowners their windows need replacing. More and more, doors have become a larger share of their family-owned business.

“Doors have been very hot,” Rick Hauler said.

They can instantly dress up a home and they have the curb appeal people are looking for to get some cachet out of their home improvement dollars.

Strangely, Hauler said, last month was the business’ best January ever. While it’s encouraging, they’re not confident it will last. Five or more years ago, a good January would have meant a good year. But they can’t count on that anymore.

Like the economy, turnout at the three-day home show was lackluster at first, but picked up gradually as the weekend progressed.

“The market is coming back, just not as quick as some people would like,” said Don Verge of Pocono Home Exterior.

He booked just one follow-up appointment Friday night but four more before noon Saturday.

He said it’s noteworthy that several of his appointments are with young couples in the process of buying their first homes. These first-time home buyers are said to be fueling the housing recovery, while other homeowners are stuck in underwater mortgages, owing the bank more than their property is worth.

Young people who were reluctant to buy homes in recent years as they watched prices plummet and businesses shed workers, have regained confidence now that home prices and the job market have started to climb. The market is counting on those first-time buyers to help decrease inventory and stabilize prices.

A total of 5,674 homes sold in the Lehigh Valley in 2012, up 13 percent from 2011 and the highest number of sales in three years, according to the Prudential Patt, White Real Estate HomExpert Market Report.

New home builders were hard to come by at the home show. Verge said people stopping by his showroom were most often looking to upgrade existing homes with vinyl siding or stonework.

Showgoers can reimagine their homes virtually in his mobile showroom, which is outfitted with iPads and touchscreen plasma televisions.

For those who needed more reality in their makeovers, RidgeCrest Landscaping Lawncare set up an outdoor oasis under the Agri-Plex roof. The winding hardscape, which took 450 man hours to build, wrapped around an outdoor fireplace and pond.

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Winthrop legislator proposes edible plants requirement for Capitol Park

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Yesterday at 8:44 PM

Winthrop legislator proposes edible plants requirement for Capitol Park

‘I want them to see agriculture. People don’t always think of edible plants as landscaping,’ says Rep. Craig Hickman, a farmer and bed-and-breakfast owner

By Susan M. Cover scover@mainetoday.com
State House Bureau

AUGUSTA — When Rep. Craig Hickman stands on the third-floor balcony at the State House and looks out at Capitol Park, he sees potential.

A child runs pulling a kite in October 2011 across Augusta’s Capitol Park. Rep. Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop, has sponsored a bill to require that edible landscaping be placed in a portion of Capitol Park.

Staff file photo by Joe Phelan

Craig Hickman

Contributed photo

More specifically, he sees the potential to grow blueberries, sage, oregano, sweet potatoes, okra and collard greens. He envisions colorful and edible additions to the historic state land once used as a campsite during the Civil War.

“I want people to see food when they come to the State House,” he said. “I want them to see agriculture. People don’t always think of edible plants as landscaping.”

Hickman, a Winthrop legislator, farmer and bed-and-breakfast owner, is sponsoring L.D. 474, “An Act to Require Edible Landscaping in a Portion of Capitol Park.” Co-sponsors on the bill include Rep. Matt Pouliot, R-Augusta, and Rep. Karen Kusiak, D-Fairfield.

The bill is headed to the State and Local Government Committee, which will hold a hearing on the idea in the coming weeks.

Hickman is seeking to change the look of a carefully planned park that mixes passive and active recreational uses, said State Historian Earle Shettleworth. Shettleworth, who serves as chairman of the Capitol Planning Commission, said he had not spoken to Hickman about his ideas, but that berry bushes and apple trees probably would conform with the current plan for the park.

Capitol Park — described in a legislative handbook as “the earliest-known consciously-designed public ground in Maine” — dates to 1827, which is the year in which the Legislature established Augusta as the state capital. Lawmakers in that year set aside $500 to pay for improvements to the park, including “forest trees.”

Then in 1920, the state hired Frederick Law Olmsted’s firm to plan the landscaping for the park, the State House grounds and the Blaine House. In more recent times, the plan has been updated, and the Legislative Council has provided money to pay for new trees, improved walkways and better benches, said David Boulter, executive director of the Legislative Council.

The council consists of leaders in both major parties and is responsible for paying for park maintenance and monitoring uses of the land, which in recent years have included a long-term encampment by Occupy Maine protesters. Boulter said any changes to the landscaping will need to be consistent with the Olmsted plan, which typically calls for trees and plants that are “muted in terms of colors,” he said.

Another consideration is upkeep.

“Maintenance is an issue,” he said. “It’s a very large park. We don’t have gardeners on site.”

Shettleworth said it’s important to keep the park available for multiple uses.

“One of the basic precepts is you have active space and you have passive space,” he said.

Hickman said anything he proposes would require little work but would showcase the beauty of food-producing plants year-round. His bill calls for the edible landscaping to be added as money is available, and that public and private funds may be used to cover the cost.

He even has some seeds from his farm he’s willing to donate to get the project started. The food produced at the park could be sold in the Cross State Office Building cafeteria or consumed at the Blaine House, he said.

“Whoever designs it, I want it to look seamless and beautiful,” he said. “You can just let the plants live through their full life cycle, and you see how beautiful they are.”

Susan Cover — 621-5643
scover@mainetoday.com

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Thinking spring at home and garden show

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Snow flurries and cold wind swept through Northeast Tennessee Saturday afternoon, but inside Freedom Hall Civic Center, home and garden vendors teased visitors with their displays of warm weather activities and projects.

The Johnson City Area Home Builders Association’s 44th Annual Home and Garden Show was in full swing as participants young and old filtered in and out of the arena and gym areas that were transformed into backyard patios, bathrooms and garden waterfalls.

Lisa Luster, executive director of the JCAHBA, said the show tried to encompass a little bit of everything, with 137 booths and 90 exhibits from vendors specializing in carpeting, roofing, cutlery, landscaping and hardscaping.

“We have everything you can possibly think of regarding indoor and outdoor living. That is our theme this year. We try to have a theme every year,” Luster said. “What we’re finding is so many people are back into the remodeling and looking at building, but they are interested in the remodeling side. They’re interested in … fixing up their front yards, their side yards, their backyards, making their living area expand out into their outdoors. So, they’re really turning their outdoors into another home, basically.”

She said Saturday’s show featured a lot of exhibitors showcasing some of their unique products not easily found at a store.

Luster said visitors come to the show for many reasons, either to solidify an old plan or to come up with a new one regarding home and garden decor.

“They love it because they can come out and get ideas or take the ideas that they’ve had for a long time and get it down on paper and actually find somebody that can take care of the idea that they’ve had,” she said. “It’s perfect weather to be in here, because you can’t work out there.”

Tim Hicks, JCAHBA president and owner of Hicks Construction Co., said he was having a lot of fun Saturday and wanted to show the community that the construction business is back in bloom.

“As the economy’s picking up, we’re picking up with it. A lot of people (have) helped us through these tough times and we just want to try to give back and let people see what we can do,” he said. “I’m very excited about all the traffic and all of the positive feedback. A lot of people are interested and it looks like they’re going to be doing stuff this year.”

A group of David Crockett High School students in the SkillsUSA club were busy at work helping some of the show’s young visitors construct and paint their very own birdhouses.

“This is our second year doing it,” said Logan Tarlton, a senior at DCHS. “We got the lumber donated to us and we … pre-cut all of the birdhouses out and pre-drilled holes. Some of them would just rather paint them, but then there’s several that want to build them.”

Tarlton said he enjoys working at the show and said he’s happy to “get out in the community, get our name out there.”

Terry Henderson, of Terry Henderson Landscaping, said he’s been in the landscaping business for almost 44 years and said he wanted to show visitors to his exhibit that they could marry landscaping and hardscaping to create a relaxing and fun outdoor area. He said adding custom walkways, patios, retaining walls, fire rings and outdoor fireplaces have been hardscaping ideas that have been trending when remodeling or fixing an outdoor area.

Henderson said he was enjoying his time at the show and said “it’s just great to meet new people and shake hands with old friends.”

Colleen Weems, who had visited the show last year, said she and her husband, Ken, decided to bring their two kids back out to get rid of their “cabin fever” due to the cold weather.

“We came last year and the kids had a great time making their birdhouses and we wanted some more. We had a lot of neat little sign-ups last year and … cool freebies,” she said. “We can’t do anything outside right now, so the kids come, they can run around and get stickers and meet police officers and learn about safety and do fun things with power tools. They have so much fun, so we’re really excited we came out again this year.”

The Home and Garden Show will continue today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults and is free for children 12 and under. The first 100 people through the door today will be entered into a drawing for a special prize.

Filed Under: landscaping ideas

Think design

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It is always reassuring to know that there is another way to achieve the results you are after. So you come up with an idea for your garden – great! You have a clear picture of what needs doing but you are not sure how to turn these ideas into reality and how much it might cost.

Pricing of landscaping jobs is very complicated as there are many unknown factors that need to be assumed, but there is usually a more economical method of getting the end result.

When it comes to landscaping each project is typically defined by two criteria – money and time. If you have plenty of either you do not need much of the other.

Plenty of money will allow the job to be completed quickly and by others to a high standard.

Plenty of time will allow you to grow the plants you require from seed or from cuttings and your labour can, with the correct skills, construct the hard landscaping in your garden to a high standard.

But before one starts constructing a garden it is important to get a plan to suit your financial or temporal budget.

This is where my vision as a designer can be very helpful, saving you significant money or labour.

This is because there are many options that will create the same effect. For example, you need access down a steep slope. You were thinking steps but I am thinking a gently graduating path running through your garden creating better access while being safer and more economical to install.

Voila! Huge savings in an instant.

Perhaps you want something to look unique rather than mass produced.

Trellis is a good example. Ordinary mass produced trellis looks old and tired as soon as it is out of the shop.

It is a design no-no in my book.

It falls apart quickly and looks so out of place anywhere except an old villa garden.

For the same money but a bit more of your time you could have something really interesting that suits your property. So no cash savings but a sure fire way to add value to your property.

As a designer I have to think outside the square to make sure that I can create gardens to realistic and affordable budgets. These days many houses look practically the same but their gardens and grounds do not have to suffer this lack of individuality.

Your garden is the canvas to express yourself.

All that colour, shape, form and structure that can be used so cleverly to create gorgeous spaces for a surprisingly low budget.

Every garden is as unique as its owner and it is from my client brief that I can gather all the information I need about you and your garden wish list.

When I combine this information with my experience, education and skills I can create the perfect garden for you that accounts for all the practicalities of modern living but makes the garden look fabulous.

If you are going down either of the two routes, “big budget, time poor” or “time rich, low budget” it is worth investing in a phone call to see what a professional designer can do to help you before you embark on what is a challenging and potentially money-wasting exercise if you get it wrong.

The more thought that goes into a design the better the result for less overall cost.

There is always another way to achieve the same results – just think about it.

– The Marlborough Express



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