9. Photo from the Cape Coral Rose Gardens of the rose “Cape Coral” an apricot and apricot blend hybrid introduced in 1964 by Boemer for Jackson & Perkins. The blooming color of the rose are orange-coral.

The 25th semi-annual Home & Garden Show will return to downtown Fort Myers this weekend with safety protocols in place.

Expo Management President Bill Anderson, who produces the Home & Garden Show, said 24 years ago when the Harborside Event Center opened its doors, the show was the first event in the building. Fast forward 24 years, he said the Home & Garden Show was again the first event to take place when the Caloosa Sound Convention Center opened its doors in 2020.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Anderson said of again being the first show to occupy the space in September. “The new building is tremendous. It’s a great asset to Southwest Florida. We were really impressed to be in there . . . clean, new, bright and shiny. The consumers love it. We were proud to be there.”

This year the 25th semi-annual Home & Garden Show will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 9, and Sunday, Jan. 10, at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center & Amphitheater, 1375 Monroe St., Fort Myers. Admission is $5 for those 18 and older. A child under 18 years old is free with a parent.

The Home & Garden Show will have safety measures in place. Masks are required for attendees and exhibitors and those who do not have one will be provided a complimentary mask. There will also be one-way aisles and disinfection stations.

“We were there at the new convention center in September and we had no incidences whatsoever. We will be safe,” Anderson said.

The show will feature 100 local companies who will educate, inform, show and explain their products ranging from air conditioning, flooring, decorators, hurricane windows, roofing, swimming pools and spas.

“I use the example from floor to ceiling, front to back and inside and outside of the home,” Anderson said of the companies that will be present. “There are multiples of everything.”

In addition, he said the businesses offer show discounts to the consumers. He said the thousands of dollars a consumer can save surely offsets the $5 admission cost.

“It’s one-stop shopping. They can find just about anything and everything they need for their home,” Anderson said. “Because of the virus, people are spending more time and more money at home. They want to make it nice and comfortable and livable and that’s another reason they should come to the home show.”

He said the January show is also a good one for Cape Coral residents to attend, as the one that is typically held in February at a temporary structure in Lowe’s parking lot has been canceled. Anderson said there is no building big enough in Cape Coral to hold the event indoors and the air circulation in a tent is not as good as a air purifier in a building.

The Cape Coral show will return in October next year.

For additional information, visit www.expomanagementinc.com.