THE SOUTHERN IDEAL HOME OFFERS SPECIAL FEATURES AND GUESTS GALORE
The 32nd annual show provides know-how … and a big helping of food and entertainment
Charlotte, N.C. (Aug. 10, 2016) Organizers put a lot of thought and work into the guest experience at the Southern Ideal Home Show. So they bring an array of special guests to town to inform and entertain. When the show returns Friday, Sept. 9 through Sunday, Sept. 11, more than 200 exhibiting companies will be there to help guests “Rethink, Refresh, Remodel.” And they’ll be joined by nationally known experts such as Brett Raymer and Wayde King of Animal Planet’s “Tanked.”
Raymer and King, of Las Vegas-based Acrylic Tank Manufacturing (ATM), take fish tank building to a whole new level. These tanks are all filled with the most exotic, unusual, colorful and dangerous fish in the world. This past season – the show’s fifth – the tanks (and the fish) are more extravagant than ever.
The show is big – with an almost dizzying collection of exhibiting companies – but there are places to just sit and relax. The most popular place to do that will probably be the IDEAL Beer Garden, which will feature a rotating selection of some of the area’s best craft breweries, including Ass Clown Brewing Company, Wooden Robot Brewery and Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. Mooresville’s Ghostface Brewing Co. will be sampling their ales – like Belgium Triple, Tempted Angel (a Belgian Dubbel) and Cuddy’s Irish Red – all three days of the show.
“When we say you can make a whole day of this, we mean it,” said Show Manager Mardee Woodward. “If you’re on a specific mission and just need to focus on the kitchen remodelers or outdoor living, for instance, you can do that. But most of our guests enjoy coming for the day and taking a meal break – or ‘beer breaks’ – as needed. We try hard to make the show as fun as it is informative.”
Lunch and dinner options are plentiful, thanks to the IDEAL food trucks. Choose from wraps and bowls from New Wrap Order, sandwiches from Two Chicks and a Truck, ‘cue from 100 Main Beef & Barbecue, kabobs from Spice Wagon and pizza from Libretto’s Street Pizza.
Enjoy culinary experts performing demos and offering samples and sharing recipes. Local favorite Heidi Billotto is the host for the IDEAL Cooking Stage, which will feature some of the biggest names in the Charlotte area’s dining scene. Will Bayrd, Vivace Ristorante, Michael Griswold, The Pump House in Rock Hill, Clark Barlowe of Heirloom Restaurant and from Hickory, NC learn from Sam Stachon of the Highland Avenue Restaurant, among the culinary luminaries offering demos on “Under the Tuscan Sun”, “Southern Comforts”, “From the Fall Farm to Your Kitchen”, “Here’s What’s Cooking in Hickory” and more.
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The giant home show, at The Park Expo and Conference Center at 800 Briar Creek Road, brings experts from the homebuilding and home improvement industries together with homeowners seeking ideas – and deals. Foodies and craft beer fans will find plenty to love here, too.
Show hours:
Friday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Saturday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Sunday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Admission: $10 at door. Youth (15 and under) free with paying adult. Discount tickets are available online, as is a chance to win a $500 shopping spree sponsored by Valpak.
Specials:
o Seniors Day (55+) is Friday, Sept. 9: $8 (No other coupons allowed.)
o Teacher Appreciation Day is Saturday, Sept. 10: One FREE admission for teachers with teacher ID
o Hero Day is Sunday, Sept. 11: Active and Retired Military, EMTs, firefighters and police officers get one free admission with valid ID.
Parking: FREE this year, thanks to WBTV’s sponsorship
Sponsors: The Charlotte Observer and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) and TheHomeMag Charlotte for the IDEAL Home Stage.
For information: call or visit www.SouthernIdealHomeShow.com