Follow the signs to Expo
Follow the Expo signs to Lardner Park to enjoy a great day out on Saturday and Sunday.
This annual Gippsland Garden and Home Expo has been presented by the Drouin Lions Club for the past 16 years.
Drouin Lions Club president Nick Drodge said the club is proud in their achievemebt of distributing more than $300,000 back into the community and surrounding areas over these years.
“Having other community groups and schools help with catering gives them the ability to fundraise over the weekend as well,” he said.
“Our club is all about helping everyone benefit from this fantastic event.”
Drouin Lions Club members run and organise the event.
The Expo is now established and is the second largest of its kind in Victoria, which is such a huge asset to the Gippsland area bringing thousands of visitors to the area from far and wide.
Buses come from all over Victoria, bringing garden and home enthusiasts for a great day out.
The funds raised by Lions Club of Drouin are donated back into the community.
The Expo, in conjunction with the Gardivalia festival, now puts Baw Baw Shire on the map as a most exciting place to head to in October each and every year.
The garden section of the Expo displays beautiful plants from general and specialist nurseries and include many unusual and rare species.
There are another 50 exhibits amongst the nurseries displaying all manner of garden features, products, equipment and machinery, shade and hot houses, mowers, pots, safety wear, outdoor furniture, water tanks, chemicals, rock paving and walls, landscaping, tradespeople, building products and more.
Then you are able to walk through to the Home pavilion, which has many exhibits with a full range of information and building needs and finance, with products such as screens, doors, kitchens, indoor and outdoor furniture, decor, vacuums, bedding, blinds, plumbing supplies, roofing systems, home wares with lots more.
There will be almost everything needed to decorate, renovate or build your home.
Come along and have a look at the ever popular Scarecrow competition. The prizes are first place $250, second place $100 and third place $50.
The competition is sponsored by Warragul Screens and Glass and Drouin Lions Club, with anyone able to enter.
You still have time to make your scarecrow to enter the competition. You just need to bring your Scarecrow out to Larder Park any time on Friday for set up.
This year`s celebrity guest Visili Kanidiadis has a television show, Garden to Kitchen, and radio spot on 3AW.
He is sponsored by Drouin and District Community Bank.
The Lions Club of Drouin wouldn`t be able to run this event without the support of its sponsors.
Over the years there have been some fantastic guest speakers, some of whom included Kevin Heinze, Melissa King, Wes Flemming, Andrew Laidlaw, Jane Edmanson and Tino Carnevale.
Since opening in April 2002 and after a lot of hard work by some dedicated volunteers within the community, Drouin and District Community Bank has contributed more than $4 million back to local clubs, projects and community groups.
Thanks to the banking of the customers, Drouin and District Community Bank have been able to support many organisations and groups including Lyrebird Village, West Gippsland Hospital, Drouin Recreation Reserve, Drouin West Fire Brigade and Ficifolia Festival Drouin.
Other sponsors this year include Drouin Home Hardware, The Moorings Metung, Warragul Solar and Gas, Warragul Screens and Glass.
On stage at 2.30pm on Sunday will see the presentation of awards for best site displays and place getters in the Scarecrow competition. This will be followed by the drawing of the huge Garden and Home Expo trailer raffle.
There is convenient and disabled parking available for the event. If you find you have too many plants to carry you can get them delivered to your car by the Drouin Secondary College Leo Club to make life a little easier.
Previous years have seen the keen gardeners arrive at Lardner Park with their trailer in tow.
It promises to be a great day out for the whole family with musical entertainment, magicians and many activities for children including free potting of a plants.
There is an extensive range of catering and refreshments available at very reasonable prices, so you will have a fun filled inexpensive day.
Entry costs to the Expo are adults $10 each while children under 16 are admitted free of charge.
While enjoying your day at the Expo it`s worth a stop at the Drouin Lions Club indoor site.
If you’re looking for the EFTPOS and would like some cash out this is where you will find it.
You can also buy tickets in the huge Expo Trailer Raffle.
It`s not too early to think about Christmas. There will be Lions Christmas Cakes available for you to buy.
If you just want to know where a particular site is or have any query at all, Drouin Lions members will be able to help you. You will see those yellow Lions vests around everywhere just wanting to answer any question you may have.
It may be to point you in the direction of the first aid, which will also be onsite over the weekend.
If you`ve been thinking about joining Drouin Lions here is your chance to just stop and have a talk to its members. Any of the Lions members can talk to you about joining Drouin Lions over the weekend or you can contact membership chairman Theo on 0407 343 410 or 5625 4589. Visit the Lions Club of Drouin website www.drouinlionsclub.org.au/gardenexpo, Garden and Home Expo Drouin Lions Club on Facebook, email gardenexpo@drouinlions.org.au or phone 5625 4589 or 5625 5330 for more information.