The Union’s Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show makes its 38th appearance at the Nevada County Fairgrounds this weekend, April 20 & 21. The Union’s Event Manager Melissa Lane said this year’s show will boast around 130 unique vendors offering their specialties—everything from food to home services to crafts and yard maintenance, all in one place. The Home, Garden, & Lifestyle Show has grown over the years and this year, Lane said, is no exception. “This year we’ve got a lot of new vendors joining who haven’t been in the show before,” she said. “We’ve seen some great responses, lots of variety. Of course all your typical vendors of solar and landscaping and Sierra Timberline and Abercrombie and all of our regular stuff (but) we also have a lot more things joining us that are a bit more kid oriented. I feel like if the kids wants to go, the parents will go. And that is kind of the best way to get people on the site is to have something for everybody.” Lane said that the emphasis on children’s and family activities is an effort to get as many people as possible engaged in the show, and that the “lifestyle” component is alive and well. “The big thing we have done differently than in years past is that I really centralized the kids products and kids workshops and things in the center of the lawn so that the parents can keep traveling around the outside and still be investigating all the booths and everything that are outside, while they can still keep an eye on the kid in the middle of the lawn, being supervised by the Girl Scouts. So we have someone over there who will be supervising,” explained Lane. “There will be games; SRC has donated all their games,” Lane continued. “We’ve got Sierra Harvest, we’ve got Master Gardeners doing a whole Monarch butterfly thing for the kids. We’ve got Goblin Forge coming in with Dungeons & Dragons. It’s just so much stuff.” Most of the nonprofit groups that are represented at the show have been moved into the Northern Mines Hall this year, another change meant to be more accommodating to the booths, especially in years when rain has been in the forecast. In the same hall there are workshops for kids. Parents can peruse the hall’s other booths and attractions. Lane also mentioned that another relocation for this year’s event will be in the Ponderosa Hall which is a newly utilized hall for this year. Crafters and gifters will take up most of the space in the hall along with artists and other crafters. “We pulled the demonstrations out of the Northern Mines Hall and we put them in a 20’x30’ tent out on the main lawn with a live DJ,” said Lane. “Our DJ this year is Guy Whetton. He is originally from Notthingham, England. He purchased all of the Music in the Mountains equipment so he has all of it. He will be bringing it to our venue to use. So he’s bringing it back home to the Fairgrounds. He has upgraded it with visual technology. The demonstrations are going to be a lot of fun this year.” Sierra K-9 Academy, Damsel In Defense, Great Vibes Cleaning, and Spirit Guide Outdoor Adventures will hold demos on Saturday. AnimalSave, EA Family Services, and Goblin Forge will hold theirs Sunday. A photo booth contest will take place throughout the weekend, with participants entering their photo booth photos by using #theunionhomeshow. Winners of the contest will be determined the following week, with special prizes being offered. The show’s popular “Find The Gnome” contest will also make a return this year. And what’s a good show without live music? John Girton & Peter Wilson will perform Saturday at 11:00 a.m. with Runnin’ For Cover taking the stage at 2:00 p.m. Sunday will welcome Kelly & Kellie at 11:00 a.m. and Strings Attached at 2:00 p.m. “We’ve added two bands so there will be live music both Saturday and Sunday this year, whereas last year it was only one day,” said Lane. “(We moved) them out from the Pine Tree Stage to a 10’x20’ tent on the right side of the lawn area as you come into the main gates.” If you arrive to the Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show hungry, fear not. The food court has something for every appetite and will welcome local vendors with a variety of offerings. Fire Goddess Pizza, Nourish Sushi, La Guaira Venezuelan, We Cook For You, Half Pints Kitchen, Coco’s Creamery and Candy, California One Hot Dogs Fabulous Fudge, and A Cookie A Day will all be working hard to satisfy your cravings. Lane said working on the Home, Garden, & Lifestyle Show is hard work but with many rewards. She has a hard time trying to decide what she likes about the organization of the annual event. “I think my favorite part of it is the kids,” she said. “I think I put more focus on the kids that I do sometimes the parents…the kids are our future. It seems like a pretty dismal future right now after COVID and seeing some of the kids coming through this next generation. So many of them are attached to computers and screens and they don’t get out. The outside sports and things of that nature I think is a really big part of our community that will help our community in the next ten years.” She added: “I think (another) favorite part is watching the vendors be happy, watching them be successful. Running it is really fun.” The National Weather Service is predicting sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70s for the duration of the show. The Union’s 38th Home, Garden, & Lifestyle Show runs Saturday April 20 and Sunday April 21 at the Nevada County Fairgrounds, 11228 McCourtney Road in Grass Valley from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. Admission is free. Parking is $10. For more information please visit theunionhomeandgarden.com.
KNOW & GO WHAT: The Union’s Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show WHEN: April 20 & 21 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) WHERE: The Nevada County Fairgrounds MORE INFORMATION: Free! ($10 parking) theunionhomeandgarden.com d4b93b6e-b03f-4790-ab11-0913f100534d