Annual Home Show and Craft Fair offers up new ideas for visitors | News, Sports, Jobs

BROADALBIN — For Broadalbin-Perth fourth-graders Brady Van Vorst and Vincent Murphy, attending the Fulton-Montgomery County Home Show and Craft Fair meant business.

As members of the Entrepreneur Kids club, they were selling a variety of homemade goodies for a purpose. “We’re trying to raise enough money to buy a slushy machine for our cafeteria,” said Van Vorst.

“You learn the basics of making chocolate-covered pretzels,” Murphy said.

Other youths, from Broadalbin-Perth and Saratoga 4H, were showing off the robots they built and how they work, which were designed for the FIRST competition (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). The Broadalbin-Perth “Nut Jobs” robotics club made it to the FIRST international competition last year.

“We try to get involved in hands-on experience with science,” Jill Becker, an elementary teacher and coach for the Nut Jobs.

Ryan Robichaud of the Saratoga County 4H Robovines maneuvers a robot during the Fulton and Montgomery Counties home show Saturday at Broadalbin-Perth High School. The show will continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. (The Leader-Herald/Eric Retzlaff)

More than science is involved, and that comprises teamwork, marketing, design, programming, public speaking, business management and fundraising, she said.

Her group of four seniors and four freshmen had to team up with a group from Canada that spoke only French, but fortunately one of the B-P group could speak French, she said.

One of the Nut Job students, Tyler Abrams said he wants to go into engineering or robotic technology but emphasized that teamwork skills really matter.

The Broadalbin-Kennyetto Volunteer Fire Company was at the show with a manikin dressed as a firefighter. Company member Brian Cornell said they were aiming to create more awareness of fire safety as well as recruiting new members. Youths between 15 and 18 can be junior firefighters to learn about firefighting and can become firefighters at 18, he said. Cornell added that the company has gained four adults and two youths through recruiting.

Tammy Merendo, a registered nurse and director of Nathan Littauer’s Healthlink, had a dummy at her booth called “Radical Randy” by which she can demonstrate the difference between healthy and inflamed lungs.

Brian Cornell of the Broadalbin-Kenyetto Volunteer Fire Company stands next to a firefighter maniken at the company’s booth during the Fulton and Montgomery Counties home show Saturday at Broadalbin-Perth High School. The show will continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. (The Leader-Herald/Eric Retzlaff)

Merendo said Fulton and Montgomery counties have a high rate of childhood asthma that she attributes to a high rate of smoking and old houses with old furnaces.

“There’s nothing good that’s going to come from smoking, and it’s very hard to quit,” she said. Quitting smoking “was the hardest thing I ever did,” she admitted.

“I love craft fairs and want to support my daughters’ school,” said Desiree Sullivan of Broadalbin.

“Home shows open up whole new ideas for people,” Diane Davidczuk of Hagaman observed.

Terri Nare of Fonda and Cecelia Coluccio of Sloansville were examining wares at Pampered Chef of Niskayuna.

Tammy Merendo, a registered nurse and director of Nathan Littauer’s Healthlink displays “Radical Randy,” a dummy she uses to talk about childhood asthma, during the Fulton and Montgomery Counties home and craft show Saturday at Broadabin-Perth High School. The show continues today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (The Leader-Herald/Eric Retzlaff)

Coluccio said she was happy because she said she “bought my Tupperware.”

Toni Houle of Fonda was checking out the fragrances at Scentsy, a booth run by Brandy Hazzard of Amsterdam. “I was just browsing,” she said.

Hazzard said an advantage of her products are that they’re electric. “Nice smell, no open flame,” she said.

The Home Show and Craft Fair occupied most of the high school hallways and auditoriums and included both crafts and heating and cooling, solar panel vendors, and outdoor equipment, to name a few.

The show is one of three fundraisers by the town youth commission to support the building of the town park. The town borrowed $500,000 to be matched by a state grant for the park, said Keith Buchanan, coordinator of the show. “No taxpayer dollars are being used to build the park,” he said. More fundraisers–a golf tourney in June and trunk sales in July and September–are planned, he said.

From left, Jim Higgins looks over a brochure at Pine Lake Stoves and Fireplace on Caroga with manager Dominick Friello as Higgins’ grandson Cole watches at the Fulton and Montgomery Counties home and craft show Saturday at Broadalbin-Perth High School. The show will continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. (The Leader-Herald/Eric Retzlaff)

The Home Show and Craft Fair will continue today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.