Prince George, B.C.-  Never mind the snow flurries in the region, it  isn’t officially spring in Prince George until the  Canadian Home Builders Association of Northern B.C.   home show  is underway.

The  Home Show  has been the  kick off to a new season for the past 40 years in Prince George and on Friday,  the 2017 edition  gets underway.

Putting the show together is a major effort says CHBA of Northern B.C.   CEO  Terry McConnachie, “It takes a whole year of planning , organizing and recruiting partners conceiving all the different ideas and components of the show.   Of course,   booking vendors.”

She says they started lining up vendors  last September,  and  were 75% sold out   by December “The response has been absolutely amazing this year.”

She says there is  a lot of  energy in Prince George  right now,  “There’s a  lot of building going on,  there is   an interest,  first because  we live in a city  where we have  longer winters.  So  when we can finally shrug that off and finally get outside and start planning  our gardens and yards,  and planning some of those different  projects we can do around the house,  it’s positively joyful  and the Home Show is here to help kick start that.”

One of the things that has made the Home Show such a success over the years,  is  the  variety of events.  Not only are their vendors  for  everything from  hot tubs to roofing,  patios  to  kitchen wares,  the show  has become interactive  as this year,  children  have been invited to  enter a birdhouse of their own design and  construction,   or they can make a bird feeder while  at the show.    There is  a skills competition for  the construction of  playhouses,   those playhouses  and bird houses will then be auctioned off and the proceeds  going to  a charity.  Last year,   the playhouse auction raised more than $30 thousand dollars.

Don’t let the recent flurries worry you McConnachie says the show has opened several times in the past  when there was  snow either still on the ground,  or falling. “We’re a  hardy bunch” says McConnachie  “I’m used to planning  events indoors and out ( the P.G. exhibition)  so I don’t get distracted by the weather anymore.”   While she can’t guarantee there won’t be any more snow flurries   post Home Show “I can promise the mind set of spring  will open  with the Home Show on Friday.”