This year’s 7th Annual Playhouse Showdown theme was ‘Modern Farmhouse’ and students from five Buncombe County High Schools did an excellent job constructing their 6′ x 8′
As this program has grown in the past seven years, the playhouses’ reputation in the community has too. In addition to the playhouses being raffled off to the public, two awards are presented to the winning schools. Previously named the ‘Best in Show Award,’ the ‘Tim Hensley Craftsmanship Award’ is given to the school with the highest score when judged by a group of AHBA Builder Members. Tim was a lifetime advocate and supporter of Career & Technical Education for Buncombe and surrounding counties. He was one of the visionaries of this program and along with Buncombe County Schools we’re excited to honor his memory through this award. The Tim Hensley Craftsmanship Award was given to Charles D. Owen High School. The second award is the ‘Viewers Choice Award’ given to the school who receives the most votes on-site at the Build & Remodel Expo. The 2019 Viewers Choice Award went to Enka High School.
We’d like to give a special thanks to the AHBA members that help make this program possible. All materials this year were donated by 84 Lumber, Best Buy Metals, Builders FirstSource, Carpet One Floor & Home and Lowe’s. Five AHBA Builder Members served as mentors throughout the project to an assigned school. This year’s mentors were Andy Presley of Blue Ridge Energy Systems of Fletcher, Brad Rice of Bellwether Design Build, Rob Motley of RS Motley Construction, Brandon Duinkerken of Duinkerken Homes, and Jay Cope with Semper Fi Custom Remodeling. Three additional AHBA Builder Members volunteered to be on the judging panel that included Dustin Penland of Milestone Contracting, Raymond Thompson of Sure Foot Builders, and Teal Brown of Wishbone Tiny Homes.
The Playhouse Showdown Program is one of the many resources and community outreach services through the AHBA’s Workforce Development Committee. This committee takes an active role in promoting and growing awareness of skilled trades and careers in construction in our local schools and community while identifying and strengthening key partnerships with our local workforce development board, schools and other organizations. Other AHBA resources include, the Speakers Bureau, Job Seeker Board, and AHBA Scholarship.
You can view all the photos from the Build & Remodel Expo weekend on the AHBA Facebook Page. Questions about the Expo or Playhouse Showdown Program? Contact the AHBA at [email protected] or 828-299-7001.
