The Annual Kootenay Home and Lifestyles Expo is a well-loved high point on the local calendar and it’s not too hard to understand why. Scheduled as it is for March 2-3, the celebration/trade show situated at Selkirk College in Castlegar gets to ride the coat-tails of a sense of energetic optimism as winter fades and spring breathes a refreshing gust into people’s lives.
At the forefront of staging this event is the Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce, and to say they’ve got their hands full would be an understatement. Interest in getting involved has been keen and with a little more than a week to go, it’s a virtual sell-out in terms of exhibitors according to recently installed Executive Director Tammy Verigin-Burk.
This is Verigin-Burk’s third event since taking the Chamber helm and, not surprisingly, the biggest.
“We’re definitely getting a lot of questions, the phone’s been ringing off the hook,” she said on Feb. 20.
There’s lots of excitement from the public… everything to do with the Expo, especially the 500 Expo reward dollars and people can enter that draw.
“The whole feel of spring is in the air,” said one of the Expo’s major organizers.
“It brings people out in droves because everyone’s got the idea of spring cleaning, renovating their house, or whatever it is to their yard… and this is definitely the place to be to take a look at all the different ways you can start your year off right.”
About 70 attractions will be on hand for the Expo-goer to check out, according to Tammy, host Selkirk College has a sort of option on the roughly five slots remaining. How and if they’re used will be made clear closer to the date of the Expo… weather considerations, etc.
Relatively new to the action is the burgeoning “lifestyles” component.
“In the vendor area with the lifestyles we are running the gamut of health and wellness,” said Tammy… “from whole-body vibration machines, to foot care, to chiropractors… dental… and from financial advice to people selling jewelry and weaving… chocolates… cookware.”
It was right around then that Tammy took a breath, and she’ll need to take a lot more of them before this spring spectacular wraps up on March 2.
Before signing off on Wednesday she wanted to make sure to mention the sponsors who have made the whole deal possible. After all, well over 3,000 have been known to pass through the gates of the Home and Lifestyles Expo and this year could see a new attendance record set.
Tammy Verigin-Burk sent out early and informal thanks to Columbia Power Corp.; Heritage Credit Union; Columbia Basin Trust; Zellstoff Celgar; Mountain FM; EZ Rock; Mitchell’s; Global TV; and Kootenay Savings.