Morning Mess: Home & Leisure Show celebrating 50 years

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/04/2016 (3462 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Home & Leisure Show starts tomorrow in the Manitoba Room, UCT Pavilion, curling club and the Kinsmen Arena at the Keystone Centre.

Ten thousand visitors, 200 exhibitors and an $8 admission, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.

And since it’s year 50 for the show, here are some other numbers: At the first home show, that same $8 would buy four cheeseburgers ($2), a gallon of milk ($1) and a pair of Levi jeans ($5). Those items would now cost you roughly $60, so $8 is a great deal. (By the way, if you still have those $5 jeans, they’re going for almost $300 on eBay.)

The very first Brandon Home Show was held in 1966. The average income that year was $6,900, Lester Pearson was prime minister, and an actor named Ronald Reagan entered politics that June, becoming governor of California.

Canada introduced its earnings-related social insurance program known as the Canada Pension Plan, or CPP.

On television, we watched Canadian William Shatner and his new TV show, “Star Trek,” and on the big screen it was “Thunderball,” “Dr. Zhivago” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

On the radio, we heard The Mamas and the Papas, The Beatles, The Monkees, The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones. Who would think that 50 years later, one of those bands would still be going strong — not to mention playing a giant concert to millions in Cuba?

In addition, 1966 was the year Pampers created the first disposable diaper, colour television sets became the most popular tech item at the home show, and Winnipeg’s new Southdale development of lakefront property — part of the 1966 Parade of Houses — featured houses ranging in price from $20,000 to $50,000. Besides their amazing location, they included such innovative features as private sundecks, sauna baths, coloured bathroom fixtures and screen patios.

Fast-forward 50 years, and it’s not the show that has changed as much as the technology, the offerings and the money involved. Who could have predicted refrigerators that can order groceries themselves thanks to the Internet, thermostats you control from work thanks to your smartphone, or whole home devices that control everything from your blinds, to your home alarm, to the movies you record on your DVR?

Times have changed, and homes have changed.

What hasn’t changed is how expensive home ownership is, and how tough it is to get into your first home. It’s never easy to ask friends and family for money, but when it comes to buying a new home, some people just need a little help here and there.

And now a new crowdfunding site helps potential homebuyers ask for dough — without really asking for it. “Feather the Nest” helps potential homebuyers meet their financial goals by asking folks to contribute to things like a down payment, closing costs or even a home improvement project.

Is there anything crowdfunding can’t do?

The site’s CEO, Lindsay Oparowski, says it helps take away some of the awkwardness of asking friends for money — although I don’t see it that way. If anything, it may just make it easier for friends and family to ignore you.

Oparowski came up with the idea when she was pregnant with her second child. Since she already had enough baby stuff, she decided she’d rather ask friends to help contribute money toward furnishing a nursery. (How about not asking them for anything at all?)

In a new survey conducted by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, a whopping 97 per cent of 13- to 17-year-olds believe they will own their own home one day. The number is pretty amazing considering in reality, only 69 per cent of adults currently own their home.

And home ownership is a big deal to today’s teens. While most twenty-somethings are opting to rent, teens see owning as a very important for their future. In fact, more than 53 per cent said they’d be willing to give up social media if it meant they could buy a home in the future. Thirty-nine per cent would agree to take their mom or dad to the prom if it meant becoming a homeowner.

Teens want to be young homeowners, too. Most hope to own their place by 28, which is three years below the average age of the first-time homebuyer.

As for how much they’re willing to spend, the average was $275,000 nationally — which is a jackpot for the Brandon Real Estate Board. Last time I looked, the average price of a home in our city was right around that neighbourhood.

So you’ve crowdfunded a down payment on the Internet, you’ve moved to Westman to buy an affordable home, and you’ve moved in. Congratulations!

Next up, visitors. And interestingly enough, when people come to visit, there are some things they look for in your house by which to judge you. And I’m not talking about how big your front porch is or how many cars you can park in the garage.

When friends and family come to visit, experts say the average person looks for six things within the first six minutes of walking in. I’ve listed them, and why my wife generally handles all but one.

The scent of your home

Your guests won’t notice your decor first, they’ll notice the way it smells. That commercial is right — we really do go noseblind to smells in our home. This is why my wife lights a candle and kicks me and the dog outside until company comes. She eventually lets the dog back in.

An organized entryway

This is what they see when they first walk into your place. It might also be where guests leave their coats and bags, depending on your space. This is why my wife takes my favourite jacket with the holes under the armpits, my ball cap with the stains on it, and my shoes half eaten by the dog — the other half worn to the sole — and hides them. It takes a search party to find the stuff after company leaves.

A well-stocked bar

Once you greet your guests, you’ll want to offer them a drink first thing. You don’t have to be a full-service bar, but you should have the home bar basics covered. This duty is all mine. And if the booze tastes watered down, it’s not because I’m cheap. I’m actually generous. With ice.

Fresh flowers

All you really need for decorations are fresh flowers. Some even buy potted flowers like orchids or poinsettias that will last longer than cut flowers. This is why my wife buys flowers, but frowns when I bring her a bouquet of dandelions. Oh sure, I do it and I’m tight and insensitive, yet the kids do it and it’s adorable.

The lack of clutter

No time to deep clean? Just focus on organizing the clutter. Get a tray or some boxes with lids for every room and gather all the junk — remotes, mail, keys, all of it — in one place. Your guests will feel relaxed in your space if it appears organized, even if it’s only for show. And guys, that’s code for all your junk — gone. Good luck finding anything after company comes. It’s best to have a box with your name on it so it just all goes where you can find it afterwards.

A tidy bathroom

You know they’ll be in there so make sure it’s clean and presentable. Put out clean towels and enough toilet paper. Wipe everything down and light a candle. We won’t talk about this one, other than my wife sends me to the gas station if I need to use it two hours or less before company arrives. Not sure why. I guess she just wants to make sure our gas tank is always full.

Enjoy the home show!

JOKE THIS WEEK

The long home renovation is finally done. Time for rest and relaxation. After cleaning up the remaining odds and ends and tending to the trash, it’s finally complete.

Exhausted, the couple sits in their new living room, sipping wine. Out of the blue, the wife says, “I love you.”

“Is that you or the wine talking?” asks the husband.

“It’s me,” says the wife. “Talking to the wine.”

BIRTHDAYS

Shaun Fjeldsted • Leann Bower • Donnalee Vertz •Jenn Michelle • Roberta Chartier-Hogan • Faders • Cheryl Morgan Bradley • Clayton Westfall • Carmen Peters

Tyler Glen is a radio DJ on Star-FM. He writes a weekly column for the Brandon Sun.

» Twitter: @Tyler_Glen