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Knimrod
11-11-2005, 07:44 PM
Hangtime is new location for gun show, home show
Cheryl Wade, Midland Daily News
11/09/2005

Hangtime Sports, Midland's eight-court basketball facility, is branching out.

The facility will become home to the Midland Gun Show April 22-23 and the Home and Garden Show March 3-5. Both yearly events previously used the old Midland Civic Arena, which will meet the wrecking ball unless someone can come up with a plan that will provide enough financial support for the building to stay open.

The gun show has been a source of controversy in the past because the civic arena's residential neighbors have objected to hordes of vehicles overflowing onto their streets.

Keith Thurlow, president of Hangtime, 1321 E. Wackerly Road, said 15,000 people are expected at next year's show, and organizers from the Midland County Sportsman's Club will use six of the eight courts. He has more than 800 parking spaces, plus some others nearby. If gun show organizers can't find enough space on nearby property, he'd be willing to clear 10 "spare acres" on his site for more parking.

Both the gun show organizers and the Home Builders Association of Midland, which sponsors the home show, came to him to ask about space, Thurlow said.

"I think they're both good community efforts and so we were glad to have them out to our facility," he said.

Connie Valliere, executive officer of the HBAM, said she loves the idea of using Hangtime.

"It's got easy access, right off the U.S. 10 and Stark Road exit," she said. "It's a wonderful new facility with ample parking."

Valliere said the HBAM tried to pick a weekend outside Hangtime's busiest season for the home show and settled on March 3-5. Some past shows have been late enough that temperatures already were warming, sending people outside to work in their yards instead of visiting the show to search out home improvement ideas, she said.

"Traditionally, people want to go to home shows while there's still a little snow on the ground," she said.

Hangtime has one important commodity, open space, Valliere said. The seating area above the courts will be a good place to have home improvement seminars, and visitors will be able to purchase concessions from Hangtime.

Thurlow said he'll be looking for other events to occupy Hangtime's space during off times, including August and September. One idea is an arts and crafts fair.

Link to story (http://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15543718)