Santa Clarita’s 5th annual Home and Garden Show and Emergency Expo, hosted by KHTS, began Saturday at 9 a.m at the Hyatt Valencia Hotel and Convention Center.

A wide array of home and garden specialists were on hand to share their expertise, advice and guidance on everything from design, decorating and maintenance tips to the latest on solar energy, pool and backyard design, home improvements and more.

“Tons of people are coming by the tents and we’re meeting a lot of people from the community,” said agents from All American Bail Bonds. “Even though we do bail bonds, families and friends still want to come by the tent and have great conversations with us.”

As a part of the Emergency Expo, a blood drive was conducted inside the Hyatt by the American Red Cross and several CPR classes were held on site throughout the day.

Santa Clarita residents were able to watch a live demonstration of the Jaws of Life, a lifesaving rescue tool used to extricate car crash victims from their vehicles, by Los Angeles County Fire Department officials.

“You’ve always seen this stuff on television or in the movies so it was really cool to see this live and in person,” said Matthew Delgado, of Valencia.

Children up to five years old were able to ride a no-pedal Honda Strider Sport training bike around a small race course.

These bikes were designed to help children as young as 18 months learn to balance, lean and steer without getting distracted by the pedals or training wheels.

More than 250 businesses and organizations participated in the event to share information about what they have to offer and ways to prepare for potential emergencies in Santa Clarita.

KHTS AM-1220 has been producing free Santa Clarita home and garden shows for six years, and the expos are owned and produced by KHTS. This year’s KHTS Home and Garden Show will continue Sunday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Valencia Hyatt.

– Evan Stevens