Lots of time at home means lots of time noticing what might be improved. With many normal recreational activities off-limits for the time being, home improvement has become a new kind of entertainment.
Thousands of Clark County dreamers and do-it-yourselfers would normally flock to the annual Clark Public Utilities Home and Garden Idea Fair at the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds, but this year, the event has been canceled in accordance with COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Even though people can’t come in person to meet vendors and see eye-popping landscaping displays at the fairgrounds, Clark Public Utilities has created a virtual version at www.clarkpublicutilities.com/event/home-garden-idea-fair/ accessible at any time of the day or night from now through May 31.
Whether you’re interested in tackling projects yourself or hiring a contractor to tackle them for you, this all-in-one website will serve as a springboard for your home improvement plans. The site features several pages of links to local businesses, plus a kids’ page with downloadable word searches, puzzles and activities.
Visitors will find links to DIY and how-to videos, links to local landscape design firms, links to local nurseries and specialty plant sellers and links to all the vendors who would normally be present at the Salmon Creek Farmers Market.
The website also features a complete exhibitor directory — all the businesses who would have participated in the 2020 Home and Garden Idea Fair.
This online resource guide benefits not only homeowners, but also local businesses that are continuing to offer services in compliance with COVID-19 safety guidelines as well as businesses that will be ready to take on new projects when restrictions are lifted.
While admission to the Home and Garden Idea Fair is always free, visitors are encouraged to donate to local nonprofits — and this year is no different. On the fair’s homepage, you’ll find links to support the Clark County Food Bank and Operation Warm Heart, a Clark Public Utilities employee-led fund that helps families with their heating expenses. Clark County residents are also welcome to make in-person donations of nonperishable food items to the food bank. For guidelines, visit www.clarkcountyfoodbank.org/coronavirus.
