By the numbers: About 13,000 attendees are expected to turn out for the 16th annual Dayton Home and Garden Show, which features more than 250 local and national exhibitors. Dozens of home and garden experts also will be on hand over the weekend to share innovative ideas for spring maintenance and enhancement.

Fun time: The theme of this year’s show is “Let Us Entertain You,” which reflects the organizers’ plot to engage, excite and educate attendees.

Quotable, part 1: “We’ll supply attendees with all the latest products, professional advice and motivation necessary to tackle projects both in and out of the home,” said Donell Heberer Walton, executive director of HSI Show Productions Inc. in Indianapolis.

Usual suspects and more: True to the show’s name, there will be an abundance of companies promoting home repair work and gardening. However, there also will be exhibitors you might not automatically think of, such as JMJ Flagpoles, Crystal Springs Water and Woodland Historic Cemetery and Arboretum.

A show with class: The second annual Garden Academy series will feature 60 free, one-hour seminars covering topics such as how to build a patio, shrub pruning 101, how to stop the emerald ash borer and designing and building a water garden. Each session will be followed by a Q&A session in the lobby’s atrium.

Quotable, part 2: “No preregistration required, no limited space and no additional fees,” Heberer Walton said. “You won’t find seminars or workshops of this kind anywhere.”

Bonus points: The seminars are the perfect opportunity for horticulturists in need of certification to earn continuing education credits on behalf of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association and the Indiana Nursery and Landscape Association

Get your grub on: Like many such events, the Dayton Home & Garden show has added a cooking stage this year. This platform will allow Chef Jeff, owner and CEO of Culinary Company at Cross Pointe Centre in Centerville, to provide food demonstrations, share recipes and reward attendees with tasty samples.

Contact contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donaldthrasher8@aol.com.