Photos: Home and Garden Show draws 1,500 visitors

Rowyn Reed, 8, left, and Reagan Reed, 4, are all smiles as their mother, Rechelle Reed, holds a kangaroo while their father Ryan Reed takes photos Saturday at the Home and Garden Show hosted by the Democrat inside the Mathewson Exhibition Center. For $5, vendor Thorni Ridge Exotics offered visitors the opportunity to have a selfie with a kangaroo, lemur and alligator. Photo by Faith Bemiss | Democrat

Sedalia Police Officer Antonio Karr and SPD therapy dog Kyah visits with Jackson Harbison, 3, and his mother, Victoria Harbison, of Sedalia, at the Home and Garden Show on the Missouri State Fairgrounds. SPD Sgt. Casey DeVorss said Kyah is new to the department and belongs to everyone. He added Kyah will bridge the gap between SPD and the community and “humanize the badge.” Photo by Faith Bemiss | Democrat

Around 12.30 p.m. Saturday, close to 725 people visited the Home and Garden Show at the Mathewson Exhibition Center. By the end of the day, 1,500 people had attended the event that had nearly 70 vendors participating in the show. Photo by Faith Bemiss | Democrat

Missouri Department of Conservation Pettis County Agent Haeley Eichler holds an animal pelt for Matthew Goodman, 6, and Evelyn Goodman to touch Saturday at the Home and Garden Show. The children were attending the event with their mother, Reni Dietrick, and their step-father, Brian Patton. Photo by Faith Bemiss | Democrat

State Fair Community College Ag Instructor Kim Rimel talks with a woman Saturday at the Home and Garden Show. SFCC offered a variety of plants and flowers for sale at the event. Photo by Faith Bemiss | Democrat

During the Home and Garden Show Saturday, Jen Colantino, of Sedalia, gets a kiss from a lemur at vendor Thorni Ridge Exotics’ booth. “Oh, he’s so sweet,” Colantino said of the affectionate primate. Photo by Faith Bemiss | Democrat

Sherry Hill, center, of Camdenton, talks with customers at her Scentsy booth Saturday at the Home and Garden Show. Hill said she thought the show would do well and bring out a lot of people because last year the event didn’t happen due to the pandemic. Photo by Faith Bemiss | Democrat