HAMMER TIME - Youngsters kept busy at the Sequin Lumber HBA Booth. (L/R) Clara, Blake, Sequin Marketing 's April Bernelis, "BOB THE BUILDER," Taylor, Haley & Dane kept busy at the Kids Konstruction Korner. (MyBayCity Photo by O. J. Cunningham)

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36th Annual Home Builders Show Held at Civic Arena

February 26, 2012
By: O. J. Cunningham

The 36th annual Home & Garden Lifestyle Show was held February 24-26 at the Bay County Civic Arena in Bay City, MI.

The event is put on by the Bay County Home Builders Association (BCHBA) and was sponsored by Graff Chevrolet in Bay City.

BCHBA members number approximately 125 located throughout Bay County and the surrounding areas. We are affiliated with the Michigan Association of Home Builders in Lansing and the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C. Across the nation, our membership includes over 200,000 individuals and companies.

BCHBA President Bill Ruff was happy with the turnout on Saturday. "We've had steady traffic all day," Ruff said about the crowd at mid-day inside the Civic Ice Arena. "And everyone that's coming through is in the right frame of mind and has a positive spirit and attitude."

Ruff said there were 55-60 booths at the HBA Show and that 40+ vendors were in attendance. "This is our fourth year at the Civic Ice Arena," Ruff said.

Additional participants like Graff Chevrolet, Duncan's Outdoors and Outdoor TV personality Tim Roller also had booths during the weekend.

BCHBA Board Member Greg Close (Elite Home Supplies) said that the addition of the Hunting/Outdoor booths was an attempt to give show attendees more variety.

"Once people are inside the show," Close said, "we want to give them a little more variety." Close went on to say that adding cars, food vendors and outdoor related vendors was all part of the BCHBA forward thinking philosophy.