The Northeast Kansas City Historical Society set up a booth at the 2016 edition of the Old House Expo.
The Northeast Kansas City Historical Society set up a booth at the 2016 edition of the Old House Expo.

By Paul Thompson

Northeast News

February 2, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – DIY Network personalities Tamara Day and Ward Schraeder will be at the Kansas City Museum on Saturday, February 4 as part of Historic Kansas City and the Young Preservationists KC’s 3rd Annual Old House Expo, a day of information gathering and networking opportunities for old-house enthusiasts in the Kansas City area.

The event will run from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and will include opportunities to confer with contractors, designers, craftsmen, lenders, realtors, and nonprofit organizations with extensive experience in the restoration of historic homes.

“There will be lots of exhibitors throughout the Kansas City Museum,” said Historic Kansas City Interim Director Stacey Winfield. “There are 25-30 booths that are set up; all of them have something to do with old homes.”

In addition to the various booths, attendees will have a chance to view educational sessions that discuss actual examples of projects that pertain to owners of historic homes. Topics are expected to include window restoration, house maintenance, energy efficiency, chimney and masonry restoration, a plaster repair workshop, and rehab case studies.

“There will be people showing you how you might want to fix something, if you’re skilled enough to do it yourself,” said Winfield. “You can go and talk to someone, and see if it’s even feasible for your project to work.”

The day-long event begins with check-in at 9:00 a.m. at the Kansas City Musuem. Keynote speaker Tamara Day and her father Ward Schraeder, stars of the DIY Network’s Bargain Mansions, will begin their presentation at 10:00 a.m. Expo Hall booth discussions and educational sessions will continue until 5:00 p.m., with a lunch break scheduled from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Tamara Day is expected to be available for lunch discussions during that time. The Pie Hole food truck, which serves Australian meat pies, will be parked outside of the Kansas City Museum for those who’d like to eat lunch on site.

Though the Kansas City Museum will soon be closing for renovations, Winfield said that the Old House Expo sponsors were grateful for the chance to host their event at the museum beforehand.

“They’re wonderful,” said Winfield. “They’ve been very accommodating, and have been helping us at every single turn.”

Sponsors for the event also include KC Parks, VisitKC, McCray Lumber, and Stewart Title. Tickets for the Old House Expo can be purchased for $20 at eventbrite.com.