PORT ANGELES — Organizers of the 32nd annual KONP Home Show closed the doors on the event Sunday afternoon, satisfied with the moderate crowd that arrived despite a rainy and snowy weekend.
An estimated 7,000 people viewed 110 home-improvement information booths, gathered in the Port Angeles High School gymnasium and in the parking area surrounding the gym.
The home show, presented by the Clallam County Public Utility District, is a showplace for North Olympic Peninsula businesses to display their services and for prospective customers to gather information.
“On a scale of one to 10, I would call this year’s turnout a seven,” said Stan Comeau, sales manager for KONP AM and FM radio in Port Angeles, which sponsors and organizes the show.
There was a large turnout Saturday, despite early snow and continuing rain, but Sunday’s snow may have chased a few people away, Comeau said.
Vendors reported that while the number of people walking the aisles was down compared to last year’s estimated 9,000 to 10,000 visitors, there seemed to be a higher number of people who were intent on a project, he said.
This year, the show added 30 new exhibitors, including Roger Harden and Steve Seibert, local vendors for Kangen Water.
“I’m surprised at the turnout, with this weather and on Sunday,” Harden said.
Vendors located in two gymnasiums and outdoor vehicle displays offered visitors of a wide variety of services, including contractors, home-improvement supplies, landscaping, pet care, health care options and home decor.
“I thought it was going to be smaller than this. I’m very impressed,” said Gary Sachs, who recently moved to Diamond Point and was looking for information on home heating and cooling systems.
Sachs said he found what he needed at the show and had an appreciation for the attitudes of the vendors.
“It has people who will actually talk to you,” he said.
The KONP Home Show started in 1982 at the Vern Burton Community Center.
For more information, visit the home show website is at www.thekonphomeshow.com.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@
peninsuladailynews.com.
