By Sam Odrowski

As the days get longer, weather gets better, and winter comes to a close, there's no better time to start thinking about home improvement.

To kick off spring, the season of regrowth and renewal, the 25th Annual Orangeville Lions Home and Garden Show is returning to the Orangeville Fairgrounds (247090 5 Sideroad) from April 5 to 7.

The three-day event will feature a variety of local businesses and organizations across 190 booths.

”It's a centralized spot where the community can come out and see local businesses and connect with people,” said Yasmine Slater of the Orangeville Lions, who is helping organize the Home Show.

The focus is on home improvement, with businesses that specialize in landscaping, home renovations and interior design making up the majority of vendors. However, many not-for-profit organizations or businesses from other sectors use the Home Show as an opportunity to introduce themselves to people and familiarize them with what they offer.

The booths are over 75 per cent sold out with roughly 40 remaining.

Anyone interested in securing one of the home show's final booths can call 519-943-2045 or email orangevillelionshomegardenshow@gmail.com to learn more.

The event is free to attend but vendors pay a set fee to rent out a booth for the event and those funds go towards the many charities, projects and initiatives the Orangeville Lions support throughout the year.

At this year's event, the Lions are hoping to raise between $40,000 and $50,000.

“All the money we collect from our vendors goes back into the community for different projects that we support,” said Slater. “That's just one great reason to support the event.”

For the vendors themselves, Slater said the Home Show attracts people from all over the region and surrounding communities, so it's a great way for businesses to get exposure to new potential customers.

“It's a great way to connect with people that maybe haven't seen their business or their name out there,” said Slater. “It's also a great way to advertise while supporting a great charity.”

She told the Citizen she'd encourage people to drop by the Home Show from April 5 to 7 to not only support the Orangeville Lions but the local business community as well.