ST. GEORGE — The 34th annual St. George Area Parade of Homes brought a blaze of excitement, from 10-plus car garages to thrilling waterslides cascading through volcanic rock.

“For the most part, the weather was really nice,” Mari Krashowetz, executive officer for Southern Utah Home Builders Association, told St. George News. “We had two days of rain but the weekends were beautiful. I think a lot of people from Northern Utah wanted to come down and see the homes and enjoy the St. George lifestyle and weather.”

Throughout the 10-day event this year, the Parade of Homes showcased 25 homes with price tags ranging from $589,900 to $8 million. Approximately 41,561 tickets were distributed, 19,041 were sold online (marking a year-over-year increase) and the event saw a total of 377,816 ticket scans, Krashowetz said. The highest number of ticket scans recorded were for the highest-priced homes.

“We want to remind our community that the Parade of Homes is an event — it’s a show,” Krashowetz said. “Builders include the latest in homebuilding technology and design. It’s important to understand all the builders also build less expensive, more attainable housing.”

With school construction programs expanding, a bonus home built by Washington County School District students in partnership with local subcontractors also was featured. Those students also served as hosts during the Parade of Homes, which provided them an opportunity to talk about their hard work. A variety of student classes were involved in the project, including a drafting design class that designed the home and an interior design class that helped with decor and arrangements.

“Since we are experiencing an ongoing labor shortage in the construction industry, it’s important that we inspire the next generation to get involved,” she said. 

The student/subcontractor home received over 3,800 ticket scans, but with no ticket required to enter, an estimated 5,000 people toured the home.

How does a home qualify to enter into Parade of Homes?

Each home in the lineup comes from local builders who are selected to participate in the event. Builders must be an active participant in the Southern Utah Home Builders Association and the building industry. Parade Home positions are awarded a year and a half in advance, and builders must earn their position based on a points system.

“For example, for education workshops builders participate in, they get points,” she said. “If they participate in service projects, they get points. If they attend our membership luncheons with professional speakers, they get points for that.”

Other positions go by silent bid or way-to-draw. This allows new home builders to obtain 15 entries. Four winners are then selected from the total entries.

Tiffini Forsey, owner and CEO of Styles Iron Doors, said they’ve installed their doors on a variety of Parade Homes for the last five years. This year, their white arched door was seen on home No. 17, “The Serenity at Sandstone Fields,” an American Heritage Home valued at almost $2 million. 

“This is such a great opportunity for builders, subcontractors, and suppliers to show their skills and what is available,” Forsey said. “I loved seeing more families out this year, the annual visitors that make it a tradition to come every year and many people from different states and even countries here for the first time. No matter what our economy is doing, people will be building or remodeling homes. This Parade gives everyone something fun to do and things to build their dream homes around.”

Are any of the homes occupied?

“No, they’re brand new,” Krashowetz said. “Never lived in. We want to reveal these homes to the public for the first time and there’s a different feel if the homes have ever been lived in before.”

Each home goes through a strict inspection and must be fully furnished and decorated. The exterior of the home must be fully landscaped.

But the event isn’t just fun for all ages, it benefits multiple charitable organizations. This year, the Southern Utah Home Builders Care Foundation raised $35,700 – up $17,200 from last year – which goes directly to community service projects. 

“It’s important that we not only work in this community, we live in the community and we help others,” Krashowetz said.

This year, a new philanthropic project was implemented. A portion of every ticket sold went into a housing affordability fund, which was donated to an organization specializing in addressing the housing affordability crisis.

The organization also does a “SUHBA for Service” day each year, which benefits seven to eight local nonprofits with construction-related projects. Past charitable donations have included Dove Center, Switchpoint, Habitat for Humanity and more.

The association also raises money for education scholarships. Last year, they reportedly donated over $42,000 to 69 representatives. This year’s scholarships are due by March 31 and the board will determine how many scholarships will be given away.

For those who purchased tickets but were unable to visit every home, state-of-the-art virtual tours are available. Each ticket includes a code that provides online access. Virtual tours are available through Dec. 31.

As for next year, Krashowetz said visitors can expect to see a lineup of 31 homes, including brand-new developments not yet seen.

“We appreciate everyone putting up with a lot of visitors during those couple weekends,” Krashowetz said. “We do want to remind people that they do bring in significant dollars into our community with lodging, restaurants and entertainment. And that helps keep our property taxes lower. It’s a great event.”

For more information on Parade of Homes, visit their website.

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