Butler Home Show to go on, show starts Friday afternoon
The Butler County Home Show must go on.
Bernie Caplan, co-producer of the show, said early Friday afternoon that despite a federal appellate court granting a stay to Gov. Tom Wolf in the ongoing lawsuit over the state's COVID-19 limits of a maximum of 25 people at indoor events, the home show is still happening.
Caplan said by the time he heard about the ruling, handed down Thursday, 25 to 30 vendors had already set up at the Family Sports Center and many more were on the way.
“So at this point it would literally be impossible to pull the plug on the show,” he said. “If (the ruling) had happened on Monday or Tuesday, maybe we could have stopped it, but still at great expense.”
He said as per the original plan, no more than 300 people will be allowed inside the building at one time.
All must wear masks and sanitize their hands before entering, and social distancing between customers and exhibitors must be observed, Caplan said.
“We're going to be diligent in that regard,” he said.
Caplan is not worried about sanctions from the state, as he is not required to be licensed, and it would have been impossible to advertise the event's cancellation with one day's notice.
He said a packet detailing the coronavirus precautions in effect at the home show was sent to exhibitors previously, and they will receive another document reminding them of the protocol when they arrive to set up.
Caplan said he feels everyone who visits the home show will be safe due to the stringent precautions in place.
“At this point, I don't think we are any different from Home Depot or Walmart,” he said. “We've gone to great expense to ensure we do this safely.”
The Butler County Home Show runs from 3 to 8 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Family Sports Center at 542 Evans City Road in Butler Township.
