Nov 19, 2018 3 min read

Rocco Lamanna is a co-owner of County Home Shows LLC, an organization that owns and operates six home shows in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Each event runs three days — Friday, Saturday and Sunday — and the six are conducted during a seven-week stretch in the spring, Easter weekend being a no-show.

It is an ambitious undertaking that is more than a spring thing, extending throughout the year as staff secures vendors, sponsors and venues and engages in a lot of brainstorming.

Washington County had a home show for nearly 20 years, run by the Washington County Builders Association, when Lamanna’s LLC took it over for 2018. The man resides in Southpointe, but wasn’t sure what to expect during his initial foray into this particular event. The show, at the Washington County Fairgrounds, turned out to be quite a show.

“We blew it away with more than 5,200 people,” he said, his voice animated. “That far exceeded the number we expected.”

“We had a really good crowd from the get go,” said Mary Beth Mueller, public relations rep for the LLC.

Bernie Caplan, the other co-owner, was gratified by the group’s debut at the fairgrounds in Chartiers Township. “We got a lot of nice compliments,” he said. “We’re happy to be back again.”

Lamanna, Caplan and Mueller are hoping for a repeat, maybe more. The Washington County Home Show will return March 22 to 24 at the fairgrounds in Chartiers Township. There will be exhibits, seminars and demonstrations on home improvement, decorating and landscaping.

Admission and parking will be free, and Lamanna anticipates having 130 vendors, up 10 from last year, at the indoor venue. Hours will be 3 to 8 p.m. that Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. (For more information, visit washingtoncountyhomeshow.com.)

“All vendors are Washington County vendors, or do work in Washington County,” Lamanna said, adding that experts Andy Amrhein (remodeling) and Doug Oster (gardening) also will be on hand.

Caplan is enamored of the location. “Everyone knows where the fairgrounds is, and the building is ideal for a home show,” he said. “Some places have to bring in generators for electricity. The majority of our exhibitors need electric. And we’ll be taking some outdoor space as well.

“The fairgrounds folks are terrific to work with too. We also have gotten a lot of cooperation and support from (the Washington County Chamber of Commerce).”

Lamanna said his Southpointe-based LLC has been coordinating home shows since 2012. It started with the Butler County event, which has evolved into an annual attraction.

The Washington County show will kick off the organization’s 2019 schedule. The North Hills, Butler County and Murrysville home shows will follow on successive weekends. Then, after a one-week break for Easter, the South Hills and Fayette County shows will wrap up the season.

“These are good little home shows,” Lamanna said.

The shows take place in a wide region of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and they appeal to even larger audiences. “These events draw from a radius of 15 to 20 miles,” Caplan said. “The events are particular to areas. A lot of our visitors know the vendors who put a roof on for them or air conditioning. People like these venues.”

There is one area, he added, where the owners would like to expand. “We want to do a show in the west, but we haven’t been fortunate enough to find a venue.”

They found one in Washington County. An ideal one.