PORT ANGELES — The 31st Annual KONP Home Show was the big draw in town Saturday and Sunday, attracting homeowners planning new projects as well as curiosity seekers to the Port Angeles High School gymnasium, 304 E. Park Ave.
The 31st KONP Home Show — which traditionally brings an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 people over the two-day event each year, organizers said — was active Sunday morning, as it was Saturday, according to Todd Ortloff, general manager of KONP AM 1450 and FM 101.7, which sponsors the event along with the Clallam County Public Utility District.
“Saturday was really, really busy,” Ortloff said.
There were no door counts, but it took only 90 minutes for the radio station to give out 1,000 black shopping bags to hold the samples and fliers provided by exhibitors — half the time it took in 2012, he said.
The show offered everything from vendors of carpets and roofing materials to those offering gourmet foods and photography services.
Dan King, 63, of Port Angeles, a new homeowner from Texas, said he was there to shop for services and materials to help with a new deck and other improvements he wants to make to his property.
“I always try to be frugal, but if I see something we need, I will pay for it,” King said.
Among the items he said looked most inviting were a greenhouse garden window and water-permeable patio surfaces, he said.
Outside, Crystal Stout, a hot-air balloon captain, attracted a crowd by toasting marshmallows for home show guests with her balloon basket’s burner while hawking balloon rides above the Peninsula.
An exhibit of camping trailers lining both sides of the Port Angeles High School access road also drew spectators.
Barbara L. Townsend, 73, and her friend, Syd Vadnais, 70, of Port Angeles, found a point of interest in cookware at the Lustre Craft booth.
Both sat through a cooking demonstration with the nonstick cookware, then debated whether they should buy some.
The home show is a tradition for the pair, Townsend said.
“We come every year to enjoy the show,” she said.
The KONP Home Show started in 1982 at the Vern Burton Community Center and has grown each year since, serving as a gathering place for North Olympic Peninsula businesses to show their wares and for customers to gather information on services available in the area.
A virtual home show also is available and features home show-type exhibits.
The website, www.thekonphomeshow.com, was unveiled in 2012.
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
