Best & Brightest

By MARY THERESE BIEBEL mbiebel@timesleader.com

Sure, January in Northeastern Pennsylvania can be chilling, gray and dreary. What better time for a Home & Garden show?

click image to enlarge

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Home & Garden Show at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township will fill the main and upper floors of the area’s premier entertainment venue this weekend.

BILL TARUTIS FILE PHOTO/THE TIMES LEADER

click image to enlarge

Mike Pitcavage, one of five sons of Ed Pitcavage, who established the family business Endless Mountains Solar Services, stands on his company’s roof among the energy-saving creations he champions.

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Additional Photos Below

Select images available for purchase in the
Times Leader Photo Store

IF YOU GO

What: 11th annual Northeastern Pennsylvania Home & Garden Show

When: 2 to 7 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena, 255 Highland Park Blvd., Wilkes-Barre Township

Admission: $7.50 for adults; younger than 16 free; $5 all weekend for seniors 65 and older

Special guests: Tom Silva, host of ‘This Old House,’ and Harry Rinker, ‘The Collector Inspector’

Parking: Free

“They do it at a perfect time of year, when people are tired of the cold and looking forward to spring. They’re looking for ways to improve their life and their lifestyles,” said Ed Pitcavage of Endless Mountains Solar Services in Wilkes-Barre.

Pitcavage will be one of many exhibitors at the 11th annual Northeastern Pennsylvania Home & Garden Show, set for Friday through Sunday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township, where he hopes to educate homeowners about the benefits of solar panels.

A firm believer in the environmentally friendly panels, he has installed a “solar farm” atop his headquarters on Kidder Street, enough to meet all the electrical needs of the 10,000-square-foot building below.

“Here’s the beauty of today’s technology,” Pitcavage said. “In the Jimmy Carter days, they depended on direct sunlight. Now we use UV (ultraviolet) rays. Just like when you’re at the beach on a cloudy day, you’d better put sunscreen on or you’ll get a burn because of those rays. Well, it could be a cloudy day, snow coming down, and there are still UV rays.

“That’s one of the biggest advantages,” he said. “Whether you’re home or not, whether you’re on vacation, (your solar panels are) producing energy. You can zero out your electric bill and end up with the electric company actually paying you for electricity.”

Another business making use of solar technology is Northeast Flagpole Co. of Schuylerville, N.Y., where owner Sheri Fane recommends a Titan Solar Display Light to people who want to observe flag etiquette without taking the Stars and Stripes down before sunset.

“This light sits on top of the flagpole and illuminates the flag at night,” said Fane, who is looking forward to a return visit to the Home & Garden Show. “Its solar panels are charging throughout the day, into rechargeable AA batteries.”

Her company sells telescoping flagpoles and a variety of flags, mostly to residential customers.

“Our flagpole kit comes with an American flag and a double-flag harness so you can add a second flag,” she said, explaining that military flags, support-the-troops flags, holiday flags and sports flags are popular options.

The possibility of adding a flag to your property is just one of hundreds of ideas you’re likely to glean if you visit the show. From verandas to Venetian blinds, carpets to cabinets, ceilings to floors and windows to doors, you’re bound to find something you like.

“We’ll be bringing a kitchen display, with door samples, drawer samples and details,” said Tony Pirrella of Interstate Building Materials in Pittston.

Painted finishes with glazes in “a lot of the warm colors” are popular this year, designer Bev Connelly of Interstate said, adding that cherry wood and maple are still popular for cabinetry, and granite and quartz for countertops.

Kitchen countertops and bathroom vanity tops are the most thought-of spaces when you’re adding those hard materials to a home, but there are other options.

“You can also do the tub surround for Jacuzzis and little pieces as well. You can do the shower seat, for example. You can do the door sills between the bathroom and the rest of the house or a ledge in the shower,” said Walter Siewior, assistant manager at All Granite and Marble Corp. in Ridgefield Park, N.J.

Stone also works nicely in fireplace surrounds, Siewior said, as well as a top for furniture, especially antique furniture.

“Back in the early 1900s you would see a lot of marble tops,” he said. “It goes with an antique look.”

“We try to always expand our collections,” Siewior said, explaining the company offers more than 1,200 color possibilities.

While you’re thinking about home improvement, the master gardeners from the Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension hope you’ll consider the benefits of trees and other vegetation on your property.

“The theme of our exhibit this year, because of all the flooding, is ‘Trees Tame Stormwater,’ ” Roberta Troy said. “We stole it from the Arbor Day Foundation, but they don’t mind.”

During this year’s Home & Garden show the master gardeners will have information about planting your own rain gardens, native plants and trees, and how all that greenery soaks up water before it can rush into a stream and overflow.

The gardeners will be available to answer all kinds of questions, whether you’re worried about grubs, skunks, wood chucks or tomato blight.

People always ask about tomato blight, Troy said. Other big topics are how to handle stink bugs, which smell bad when crushed, and how to look out for ticks, which can carry such ailments as Lyme disease.

“Ticks were a hot item this summer,” said the gardener, who staffed a booth at the Wilkes-Barre Farmers Market during the warmer weather. “I have ticks to put on display, and people are amazed at how tiny they are.”