For years, the Nisqually Valley Home & Garden Show was Yelm’s premier home improvement trade show, kicking off the spring season with local businesses, activities and a car show.
The event has been renamed the Nisqually Valley Spring Expo for the 2024 edition, as it will feature approximately 70 vendors on Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28, at Yelm High School. While the Nisqually Valley Spring Expo will still have a home and garden focus, the event’s new goal is to showcase the vast array of businesses in Yelm and the surrounding areas.
“The home and garden show is a wonderful idea, but it is really hard to get nurseries, for example, to engage this time of year and to take time away from their store. It’s the busiest time of year for them,” said Jennifer Ferguson, president-elect of the Yelm Chamber of Commerce, which is hosting the event. “I am personally excited about more of a business expo because it broadens everything. The community gets to come out and see a full range of businesses that are available to them, both nonprofit and for-profit companies.”
On the opening day of the spring expo, attendees will have the opportunity to interact with vendors at their booths as many of them will feature engagement activities for all ages, both indoors and out. Confirmed vendors include J&I Power Equipment, Cutco Cutlery, Smith Brothers Farms, Tristate Roofing Inc., Harley Exteriors and more. Food vendors like Kona Ice, Steele Barrel BBQ and Una’s Kettle Corn will be on hand. Attendees can also check out the car show, sponsored by Prairie Street Rod Association, in the YHS parking lot.
The main attraction on the second day will be the seed swap, Ferguson said. She added that several hundred seed-starting kits will be available to people as they arrive.
“There have been a number of organizations who donated seed packs to us to help pull that off. We’ll have kits with flower pots, soil and a couple of seeds for the kids to take home,” she said. “It’s cool to honor both the spring and the city’s centennial, which we’re also celebrating.”
Ferguson said that she hopes more businesses get involved with the spring expo to keep the event growing.
“The biggest draw is just the expansion of the types of businesses we’re getting in. That’s what we want to continue to grow for future years,” she said. “We don’t have anything like a business expo in the Nisqually Valley. We really want to turn this into something cool.”
The Nisqually Valley Spring Expo takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days of the event. It is free to attend.
For more information, visit https://yelmchamber.com/spring-expo/.
