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Cedar Mountain Designs can carve stumps into customized works of art

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Warm weather, rain in the forecast for the Wyoming Valley

<p>KINGSTON &#8212; There&#8217;s power in numbers.</p><p>At least that&#8217;s true for the Home Builders Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania, which recently formed after the merger of the Building Industry Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Lackawanna County Home Builders.</p><p>Ann Cragle, of the Home Builders Association, said the merger occurred after the two organizations realized they could better serve members by forming one group rather than staying separate.</p><p>&#8220;Members have to pay dues for each organization they&#8217;re part of, so now they only have to pay one fee,&#8221; said Cragle.</p><p>Now that the group&#8217;s territory has grown, Cragle said the association decided to hold its annual home show in Lackawanna County this year to accommodate new members.</p><p>More than 40 vendors are set to appear at the Northeastern PA Home and Better Living Show April 8 and 9 at the Lodge at Montage, 1000 Montage Mountain Road in Scranton.</p><p>The event is presented by the Home Builders Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania and sponsored by major sponsor Scranton Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram, and minor sponsors Window World and Bath Fitter/Kitchen Saver.</p><p>The show will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults with children admitted free. There will also be free parking and a shuttle service from the parking lot to the lodge.</p><p>The entertainment is a drastic change from that of last year&#8217;s event, held at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township, which featured a bug-eating contest.</p><p>&#8220;There are no bugs this year,&#8221; laughed Cragle.</p><p>This year&#8217;s entertainment will be provided by Cedar Mountain Designs, comprised of husband and wive chainsaw carving duo Heath and Hillary Bender. They will perform a live chainsaw carving demonstration at 1 and 3 p.m. on both days of the show and will hold a raffle for one lucky winner to take home a finished design.</p><p>The Home and Better Living Show will also feature a drawing for 2017 Montage Mountain water park memberships and a 2017-18 winter season membership.</p><p>Scranton Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram will have some of its vehicles on display during the event for home show-goers to check out while perusing the vendors. It will be the company&#8217;s first appearance at the home show, according to Cragle.</p><p>Other new vendors include Sears Home Services, Farmers Insurance and PS Mortgage.</p><p>The event features vendors from all facets of the building process, from banks and insurance companies to help get projects started, to construction companies and contractors to help plan and build dream homes, to other services homeowners might need down the line, like basement waterproofing or generator services.</p><p>&#8220;We offer the whole spectrum for whatever anyone&#8217;s looking for in terms of home building services,&#8221; said Cragle.</p><p>Cragle said being a part of the Home Builders Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania has several benefits for its members, including discounts on certain services and products, many kinds of insurances, a strong network of professionals, purchasing partnerships, advocacy and legislative efforts and much more.</p><p>The most important purpose of the association, according to Cragle, is supporting local tradesmen and helping newcomers to the industry.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re local,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We want to make sure people know who is doing their work.&#8221;</p><p>In addition to promoting its own goods and services, the organization also likes to give back. The Home Builders Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania donates booth space to the Greater Federation of Women&#8217;s Clubs of Luzerne County in exchange for its members manning the home show ticket booth. There will also be booths for the Wilkes-Barre Career and Technical Center and Red Rock Job Corp.</p><p>The group is also working on a service project to refurbish the Joe Palooka Monument on State Route 309 in Ashley. Joe Palooka was a boxer depicted in a comic strip that began in the 1920s whose artist, Ham Fisher, was born in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>The organization also plans to hold a golf tournament this summer. Details for that event are pending.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Visitors browse the aisles during last year&#8217;s home show at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_biaexpo03-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Visitors browse the aisles during last year&#8217;s home show at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </caption0><photoCredit0>Times Leader File Photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_biaexpo02-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dick Deubler, left, of Great Additions, Inc. in Luzerne talks with homeowners Bobbet McDade and William Cook, of Mountain Top, during last year&#8217;s home show at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_biaexpo02-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Dick Deubler, left, of Great Additions, Inc. in Luzerne talks with homeowners Bobbet McDade and William Cook, of Mountain Top, during last year&#8217;s home show at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township. </caption1><photoCredit1>Times Leader File Photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_builders-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The 2017 Northeastern PA Home and Better Living Show will be held 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 8 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 9 at The Lodge at Montage, Montage Mountain, 1000 Mountain Mountain Road, Scranton. The event is presented by the Home Builders Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Organizers are, from left, Dave Balent, HBA committee; Don Casterline, HBA committee; Paul Drake, Red Rock Job Corps; Chris Matthewson, Scranton Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM; Jeff Slivinski, director of marketing at Montage Mountain; Jesse Fatz, event coordinator, Montage Mountain; and Brian Kerrigan, commercial sales manager, Scranton Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_builders-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>The 2017 Northeastern PA Home and Better Living Show will be held 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 8 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 9 at The Lodge at Montage, Montage Mountain, 1000 Mountain Mountain Road, Scranton. The event is presented by the Home Builders Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Organizers are, from left, Dave Balent, HBA committee; Don Casterline, HBA committee; Paul Drake, Red Rock Job Corps; Chris Matthewson, Scranton Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM; Jeff Slivinski, director of marketing at Montage Mountain; Jesse Fatz, event coordinator, Montage Mountain; and Brian Kerrigan, commercial sales manager, Scranton Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM. </caption2><photoCredit2>Submitted photo </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>2017 Home and Better Living Show features vendors from Luzerne, Lackawanna counties</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Sarah Hite Hando</p><p>shando@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> Northeastern PA Home and Better Living Show</p><p><strong>When:</strong> 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 8 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 9</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> The Lodge at Montage Mountain, 1000 Mountain Mountain Road, Scranton</p><p><strong>Admission:</strong> $5, children admitted free</p><p><strong>More info:</strong> Call Ann Cragle at 570-287-3331 or Danielle Policare at 570-881-2710.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Sarah Hite Hando at 570-704-3945.</p></shirttailMeta></div>