Caviar wishes and homey traditions are at the heart of an event this winter featuring treasures from land and sea - the Budweiser Grand Strand Boat Show & Home Show 2011.
From Feb.11-13, more than 300 vendors and exhibitors will showcase a plethora of goods and services aimed to make life lovelier, whether sitting or sailing, fixing or fishing.
The aim of the combined show, in short, is to be a one-stop shop where addicts and admirers can be pleased while pursuing pleasures for home or aquatic life.
"The timing of the show is a plus for the consumers, providing them with the opportunity to get a jump on spring home-improvement projects," said Rose Anne O'Reilly, executive vice president of the Horry Georgetown Home Builders Association. "Now is the time to remodel your bath or kitchen, work on an interior design project, install that pool, spa, waterfall or water garden, or build that home of your dreams."
On the oceanic side, water dwellers should expect to see everything from johnboats to cruisers for adventurers and avid fishermen alike.
"All of our dealers will bring a pretty good representation from their smallest boats to their larger boats," said Elizabeth Cooper, boat show promoter and owner of Cooper Communications, a public relations firm in Murrells Inlet. "What people don't see, they will have information about."
Close your eyes, if you will, and try to imagine the convention center being all about boat and home stuff for three solid days.
"We've got the whole thing, the entire convention center, and a few things on the outside," O'Reilly said.
In addition to vendors, selling their wares, and bankers, who will be on hand to write loans for that boat you want to buy, there will be a silent auction to benefit the Grand Strand Humane Society. Items donated for the event include centipede sod (enough to do a small yard), cat trees, gift baskets and tools.
There will also be an array of seminars and demonstrations, from talks on king mackerel fishing and trolling offshore or inshore, to getting your lawn ready for spring, to vegetable gardening and eating heart-healthy.
Both ladies said consumers will get a bargain for their money since the shows are being held together for the first time ever. The boat show is 27 years old, while the home show is 31 years old.
"We wanted to offer people more value for their money," Cooper said. "If it works well, we plan to do the same thing next year."
One really cool thing about the show, vendors and organizers said, is that it allows folks to have face-to-face encounters with local business owners.
Kimberly Elko of Elko Spas, Billiards & Pools of Myrtle Beach will be there.
She and her husband, Michael Elko, began participating in the home show seven or eight years ago.
The duo will have a variety of their made-in-America goods on display, which are also green products to boot.
Read more: http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/01/28/1945632/show-displays-best-of-land-and.html#ixzz1CN9KycwI