Despite the kind of weatherevent planners dread, Harford LIVE! broke all of the event?s previous attendance records, its founder said.
About 32,000 people bought tickets to the home and garden show at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, said Stacy Pesacov, president of Full Potential Marketing Inc., which plans, organizes and sponsors the event. That number doesn?t include children 12 and under who attended free with their parents.
“It was so great, surprisingly great,” given that it poured rain for about half of the two-day event, Pesacov said.
“We do everything we can to prepare, but there?s only so much that any human being can control.”
Fortunately, most of the show was under cover, she said.
Pesacov attributes its success to the fact that while it is an upscale home and garden show, it is also like a festival, with bands, gourmet food, pony rides, face painting and other activities designed to appeal to teens, husbands and kids.
Representatives from 400 companies, many from Harford County, exhibited their services and products to an audience drawn from Pennsylvania, Virginia and Delaware as well as Maryland, Pesacov said.
“My guess is that a good many of them stay overnight,” especially among the exhibitors and vendors, she said.
Harford LIVE! brings a lot of attention to the county as a good place to live and do business, Pesacov said; it also generates income for both the exhibitors and local restaurant and hotel owners.
This was the sixth time the event has been held. Pesacov is already organizing the next one in the fall.
A portion of the proceeds goes to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County.
Don Mathis, executive director of that organization, said they usually get $1,500 to $2,000 from each Harford LIVE! event.
With federal grants drying up, organizations like his are increasingly dependent on good business partners to meet their needs, Mathis said.
“We?ve been her charity of choice since the beginning,” Mathis said, praising Pesacov as “a good corporate neighbor.”
It?s not just about altruism, Mathis stressed, but of giving at-risk kids a chance to lead productive lives, which ultimately
benefits everyone.
Harford LIVE! donations
Donations can be mailed to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County, 100 E. Bel Air Ave., Aberdeen, MD 21001
