Historic home renovation

Does your house have a past? PBS old-house expert Bob Yapp will be in town Feb. 20 for two presentations sponsored by the Twin Cities Bungalow Club. "You Can't Live in a Museum -- Or Can You?" will offer strategies for making historic homes livable for today while respecting their architecture (1-2:30 p.m.). "Getting Shellacked, or Innovative Woodwork Finishing and Refinishing" will offer safe and efficient ways to remove old paint and natural finishes from woodwork (3-4:30 p.m.). Both presentations will be held at Hillcrest Community Recreation Center, 1978 Ford Pkwy., St. Paul. Cost is free for Bungalow Club members, $3 for one session or $5 for both. No reservations necessary.

Patio dreamin'

Yes, we're all sick of winter. But a little taste of spring is coming to St. Paul. It's the Minnesota Home and Patio Show at RiverCentre, Feb. 17-20. Nearly 400 exhibitors will be on hand to inspire and inform, along with daily seminars on home repair and improvement, gardening and landscaping. "Renegade Gardener" Don Engebretson and Bobby Jensen from KARE 11's "Grow With Care" will appear every day, sponsored by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. Kids can get their hands dirty at the Hort Society's potting bench, and a Minnesota-themed garden by Mickman Brothers will showcase natural, regional resources you can use to spruce up your back yard and front door. The Home and Patio Show will be open noon-9 p.m. Feb. 17-18, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Feb. 19, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 20. Admission is $9 for adults, $2.50 for children ages 6-12, and free for children 5 and under. For more information, visit www.homeand patioshow.com or call 763-755-8111.

Last call for Lake Home & Cabin Show

Looking for something to do with the kids today? How about a "Live Bat Encounter"? Scientist and TV personality Rob Mies will be appearing at the Lake Home & Cabin Show, accompanied by a big brown bat, fruit bats and the biggest bat in the world, a Malaysian species with a 6-foot wingspan. Mies and his "Live Bat Encounter" will take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. today. And if bats aren't your thing, there's lots more at the show, including a "Getaway Gourmet" cabin grilling demonstration with chef Patrick Moore at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., an authentic cabin interior to explore, and exhibits on cabin architecture, furnishings and decor, landscaping and lakeshore products. The show is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. today at the Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 2nd Av. S. Admission is $10 for adults, $4 for kids ages 5-15, and free for children under 5.

KIM PALMER

Blog on home

It's the little things that make a house a home. And that's what the Star Tribune's Homegirls are blogging about. House-blindness. Obsolete furniture. Walkable neighborhoods. And whether '50s pink bathrooms are retro chic -- or just plain ugly.

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