By Sam Odrowski

The Orangeville Lions Club is shaking things up at this year's Home & Garden Show with a brand-new speaker series. 

The Speakers Corner will run on Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6, at the Orangeville Fair-grounds (247090 Five Sideroad), during the Lions' 26th Annual Home & Garden Show.

Several of the vendors at the home show will participate in the Speakers' Corner. The County of Dufferin, Shelburne Home Hardware, Don's Heating and Cooling, Hear Well Be Well, Mead-owood Tree Services and Deker Electric Ltd. will be presenting.

The presentations will take place on a stage in the food court area of the home show.

“It's good to have something new and change things up a little bit,” said Orangeville Lion Club member John Kallay, who's helping organize the Speakers Corner.

Shelburne Home Hardware will be discussing Beaver Homes, which is a premium service of-fered at select Home Hardware Building Centres across Canada. Beaver Homes provides cus-tomers with materials, blueprints and guidance to support them in their home or cottage build-ing project. There are over 100 models to choose from. 

Other topics to be covered by Shelburne Home Hardware include HST/ building rebates and the permit/planning process for accessory dwelling units.

“If you wanted to put an apartment in your basement or a tiny home in your backyard, the presentation will cover what the regulations are and how to go about it,” said Kallay.

Shelburne Home Hardware's presentation will run from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on April 5.

Hear Well Be Well will be up after Home Hardware, discussing hearing health from 1 to 1:30 p.m.

Meadowood Tree Service will share tips on tree care from 1:45 to 2:15 p.m.

The County of Dufferin will wrap up the Speakers Corner on April 5, with a discussion on busi-ness continuity planning. Business owners may want to lend an ear when this presentation takes place from 2:30 to 3 p.m.

Opening the Speakers Corner on April 6 is Deker Electric Ltd., with a presentation on stand-by generators from 11 to 11:30 a.m.

This presentation will be followed by a discussion from Don's Heating and Cooling on heat pumps from 1 to 1:30 p.m., which will wrap up the Speakers Corner for the weekend. 

Kallay said he got the idea for the Speakers Corner when attending larger home and cottage shows in Toronto. He noticed there was a space dedicated to guest speakers and thought it would be a nice addition to the Orangeville Home & Garden Show.

Kallay said if the Speakers Corner is well received this year, the Orangeville Lions will bring it back and build on it for next year.

The Orangeville Home & Garden Show runs from 5 to 9 p.m. on April 4, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 5 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 6.

The event is free to attend, and parking is free at the Orangeville Fairgrounds.

Learn more about the event by visiting orangevillelions.org/homegardenshow or the Orange-ville Lions Facebook Page: facebook.com/OrangevilleLions.