PITMAN — It was the hottest show on turf. Hundreds of homeowners attended the Gloucester and Camden County Spring Home Show at Total Turf Experience on Lambs Road Sunday. The show featured demonstrations and informational booths from home improvement contractors and vendors, and featured a keynote speech by John Gidding, host of the HGTV show ‘Curb Appeal.’
Other presentations included home organization tips from Barbara Berman and a talk by Chef Warren Caterson. Vendors moving everything from vacuum cleaners to hot tubs peddled their wares as visitors looked for contractors and decorating tips.
“We’re looking for ideas for the house,” said Laura Golden of Pitman. “We’re always doing 10 projects at a time.”
Other visitors had come to see new products.
“We’re finding it interesting,” said Luci Nurkowski of Washington Township. She had just decided to buy a combination floor steamer and mop, but like many other attendees, she was waiting for Gidding. “I’m a huge fan of the show,” Nurkowski said.
The ‘Curb Appeal’ star opened his presentation by talking about the preparation that goes into shooting each episode of the show, which brings in experts to make over home exteriors. Gidding then moved on to discuss the fundamentals of design, eliciting laughs from his audience as he spoke.
“Could this be any more depressing?” he said of a particularly drab picture of an unfurnished front yard.
The worst news he had to deliver to his New Jersey fans was that only homes in the San Francisco Bay area are eligible to appear on ‘Curb Appeal.’
“The first question is always, ‘can you do my house?’” Gidding said. “We don’t travel, so people are always a little crestfallen. But I love spilling the secrets of behind-the-scenes television.”
Gidding said he tailors his live appearances to meet the interests of each audience. After taking a few questions, he focused the Sunday’s discussion on landscaping. And the lecture circuit isn’t just for the fans. Once in awhile, public speaking helps Gidding drum up clients for his own business.
After Gidding spoke, fans lined up to chat and take photos. Several people in the audience said Gidding’s talk had been useful for their own decorating plans.
“We just purchased an older home,” said Denise Sabelli of Washington Township. “It definitely gave us some inexpensive ideas.”
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