Craig Daily Press

The question: What can people expect to see if they attend the 25th annual KRAI/55 Country Spring Expo on Friday and Saturday?

Vicki Gutierrez, the radio station’s sales manager and Expo event coordinator, pauses for a second, before answering.

Boats, hot tubs, campers, electronics.

She pauses again, then continues.

Spas, real estate, building supplies, automobiles.

There is another pause before more information leaves the tip of her tongue.

Food, sheds, lawn and garden equipment.

That’s not all.

There also is entertainment, such as the weenie dog races, the crawling baby races and a Sudoku tournament.

“It’s similar to a trade show,” she says, “but instead of just one industry, it’s across the board — all different kinds of companies and products, showcasing what they do.”

More than 30 vendors have signed up for the annual event, which takes place inside and outside of the Centennial Mall. Booths still will be available until the day of the show.

“We usually end up with 40 to 50” vendors, Gutierrez said.

Booths also include nonprofit groups and fundraisers, which are given space free of charge, she said.

But it’s not just a bunch of people standing around at booths.

“Every booth will have something interactive,” Gutierrez said, “whether it is a drawing for prizes or demonstrations, free samples.”

One such booth is Dr. Carolyn Gochee’s.

“We generally have one of the most interactive booths of all,” Gochee said, saying her chiropractic office will have a digital scanner, smoothies and protein shakes and postural analysis, among others at the event.

This marks the fourth time Gochee’s office will present at the Expo.

“It gives me the opportunity to meet people who I wouldn’t probably get a chance to meet from coming into my office,” she said as to why she keeps coming back. “Some people are apprehensive on going to a doctor or coming in and asking questions, and this give the public a chance to ask questions about the many services that we offer in our office without having to make an appointment or come down. It’s kind of a non threatening environment.”

On Saturday, that environment includes the entertainment.

The seventh annual weenie dog races, sponsored by Mountain Meat and the Tin Cup Grill, start at 9:30 a.m., with registration at 9.

“We put them into brackets, and we race them two at a time,” Gutierrez said, “and as they progress through, then we end up with the fastest running dog.”

Prizes include a Tin Cup Grill gift card, a Mountain Meat sausage bundle, a trophy and “bragging rights for a year.”

The crawling baby races, sponsored by Mountain Meat and the Tin Cup Grill, are at 11 a.m., and are conducted in semi-circle on a carpeted floor. Babies that can walk are not eligible to enter.

“Parents stay inside a smaller semi-circle and send the babies out to another parent or grand parent,” Gutierrez said.

Prizes include a Tin Cup Grill gift card, a Mountain Meat Sausage bundle, a deluxe portrait collection from Tracy Spencer Photography and gift bags from the Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association.

The Sudoku tournament, sponsored by the Craig Daily Press, also is Saturday. For more details, call 875-1796.

“It’s a great way to kickoff spring,” Gutierrez said, “and looking for all of those things to get your house and garden back in order. And you will see all the people you haven’t seen all winter.

“Just come on out. You’re missing out if you don’t.”

For more information or for vendor sign-up, call 824-6574.