Eisenhour said the health aspect is a welcome, new addition to the show this year.
“We thought it might be a good way to interact with the services there at LifePlex,” Eisenhour said. “There will be vendors available to help us be healthier and make healthy choices. And LifePlex will be giving tours if people want to see the rest of it. It’s an awesome, awesome facility.”
The home show will take place on the east end of LifePlex, located 2855 Miller Dr. Friday hours are 4 to 7 p.m., with Saturday hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sunday the show is open from noon to 4 p.m.
General admission is $2 with children younger than 5 admitted free, making the Health & Home Show an affordable family outing.
“It’s a $2 admission, so it’s a very family-friendly activity. A family can come out for less than $5 or $10 and that’s not easy to do today. Especially with the cost of gas. And it’s located in close proximity to Plymouth, so you don’t have to drive to South Bend.”
In addition, people attending the show will be eligible for door prizes given every hour and will also be given a chance to enter a drawing for $200 in scratch-off lottery tickets.
“There’s four major sponsors — Eisenhouer Home Improvement, First Federal Savings Bank, the Pilot News and NIPSCO. You have to go to their booths and get your ticket punched. Then you can turn that in and you’re in the drawing for the scratch-off tickets.”
Eisenhour has been an active leader in the planning of the home show for the past three years. In fact, he was the one who initiated the idea for the show.
“It’s a good way for our members to show their products and/or services to the general public and it’s a way for our Home Builders Association to earn money to support the activities that we do.”
The event serves as an annual fundraiser for the Marshall County Builders Association. The funds are used to pay expenses for the association and to fund worthwhile community projects.
“We donated a couple thousand dollars to the Boys and Girls Club after their flood,” Eisenhour said.
The association also does its share of political activism.
“Basically we’re looking at the ordinances and zoning laws that are being proposed in Plymouth and around Marshall County and making sure those are aligned for what our feelings of the growth of Plymouth and Marshall County are. We think what’s good for the growth of Plymouth is good for our home builders association.”
Members of the Marshall County Builders Association are automatic members of the state and national builders associations as well, which opens the door to many opportunities to professionals in the field.
“You’re joining three levels of home builders. There’s opportunities with the state, there’s all kinds of classes on codes, keeping contractors or building officials up on codes, also a wide array of business management classes put on by the state. There’s also huge national conventiosn that draw thousands of builders.”
Membership in the association is also a great networking and mentoring opportunity for local builders.
“For the newer contractors, there’s lots of people that will give you advice,” Eisenhour said.
A committee reviews new applications to determine membership.
“We have a set of values and promises. Also in the state of Indiana we have a code of ethics and a building standards book that we build by. It kind of separates us from the general, everyday, run-of-the-mill contractor. Anybody can join, but not everybody that applies gets in. There are some standards. We don’t want people that are going to take advantage of homeowners as part of our association.”
Coordinating the annual home show begins six months before the event with a committee of about 10 people working to make it a successful endeavor. They brainstorm ideas, secure sponsors and vendors and meet frequently in the months and weeks leading up to the show.
“There’s a lot of coordination. It’s almost like being a promoter,” Eisenhour said.
LifePlex is located at  2855 Miller Dr., Plymouth, off Pine Road south of U.S. 30. Show hours Friday are 4 to 7 p.m., with Saturday hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, the show is open from noon to 4 p.m. General admission is $2 with children younger than 5 admitted free.