Nearly 200 exhibitors offering a wealth of products, activities and home improvement ideas will participate in the 2011 St. Albert Lifestyle Expo and Sale at Servus Credit Union Place next weekend.
"It's made for families and individuals to come and see what products are out there that are new or maybe they didn't know there that was a company in the St. Albert area that offered this stuff," said Lynda Moffat, president and CEO of the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce, which puts on the event.
"We try to have a really good mix and we think that we do this year."
The chamber has changed the direction of the show and moved its outdoor display area indoors.
"We think it's going to be a lot more pleasing and a lot more fun," Moffat noted.
In addition to products and interactive displays for businesses, homeowners and families, the event also features a number of activities for children.
As always, the expo will offer a petting zoo, but will also have a 'potting' zoo where kids can plant seeds in their very own hand-painted pot.
"We're thinking it's pretty close to Mother's Day so we're thinking they might want to do it for their mom's gift," said Moffat.
A number of events will also take place on the entertainment stage, including a fashion show and St. Albert Idol. A baby crawl is set for Sunday.
Botanical arts experience
Gardeners might want to think twice about adding sand to clay soils in order to loosen them up, says Jim Hole, co-owner of the Enjoy Centre.
"What you end up getting is concrete," Hole said. "It will cost you a lot of time and money and backbreaking work."
Adding sand to clay soils to loosen them is just one of the common garden myths Hole will touch on during one of two presentations he'll give as part of the Pure Horticulture Botanical Arts Experience running during the expo.
The event, which includes a series of workshops and presentations for the home gardener, will place greater emphasis on horticulture than previous expos.
"It deals with some of the commonly held myths in the garden as far as things to do with growing and fertilization," Hole said of his first talk, which kicks off Friday evening.
"The point of it is to educate people on garden myths, save them time and save them money."
He'll also speak about Cool Green Living on Saturday afternoon. Hole said he also plans to cover the rooftop of a car with various plants as part of the expo.
Ponds and water features, gardening myths and container gardening are just a few of the topics covered in the series.
With St. Albert aiming to become the centre for botanical arts in Canada, Moffat said it coincides nicely with the city's Cultivate Life moniker.
She said the chamber hopes the event will continue to grow in the years to come.
"We really hope the people of St. Albert will come out and support the show," she said.
"We want it to keep growing and become a real attraction for not only St. Albert but northern Alberta."
Visitors to the 2011 St. Albert Lifestyle Expo and Sale can purchase a weekend pass for $5. The expo runs Friday, April 8 to Sunday, April 10 at Servus Place.
Friday April 8
• Gardening Myths, 6 to 7:15 p.m. Jim Hole, Enjoy Centre
Saturday April 9
• Container Gardening: Think Outside the Pot, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Cory Christopher, First Choice Tree Nursery & Garden Centre
• Cool Green Living, 12:30 to 1:45 p.m., Jim Hole, Enjoy Centre
• Ponds & Water Features Done Right, 2 to 3:15 p.m., Wayne Boettger, Patio Magic Inc.
• Outdoor Spaces with Indoor Style, 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. Dawn Stiles-Oldring, Creating Spaces for Life.
Sunday April 10
• Introduction to Permaculture, noon to 1:15 p.m., Thomas Barr, NuEnergy, Kurtis Ewanchuk, Rising Earth Permaculture
• Trees in Your Landscape, 2 to 3:15 p.m., Dr. Len Burkhart, Senior Scientist Advisor, The Davey Tree Expert Company.
