Home & Garden Briefs

CONTEST

Desert landscaping competition begins

The Southern Nevada Water Authority is holdings its 2007 landscape competition.

Participants must have a water-smart lawn demonstrating that desert landscaping can be functional and attractive.

Applications for the free competition are available at snwa.com or by calling 258-7283. Applications and photographs are due no later than May 9.

GIFT EXPO

200 vendors set to display their wares

The Henderson Convention Center, 200 Water St., will host the Extreme Home and Gift Expo today and Sunday, featuring more than 200 vendor booths. Admission is free.

The event is from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Live entertainment and sports activities will be available, as well as workshops and demonstrations by Home Depot. For more information, call 568-5191.

WILDFIRE PREVENTION

Expert offers tips on securing your home

The most reliable way to predict which houses will survive a wildfire and which will be destroyed is by looking at their roofs.

Houses with wood shake or shingle roofs are many times more likely to burn during a wildfire.

"Using wood shakes and shingles for roofs in high fire hazard areas is like stacking hundreds of pounds of kindling on top of your home," said Ed Smith, a natural resource specialist at the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. "During the hot summer months, the shakes and shingles can be bone dry and easily ignited by firebrands."

Firebrands are pieces of burning material that Smith says can be lofted high into the air during a wildfire and travel as far as a mile from the actual fire.

Unfortunately, there is no effective, inexpensive, long-term solution to the wood roof hazard. Smith recommends replacing wood shake or shingle roofs with rated, fire-resistant roofing materials, such as composition shingles, metal and tile. Although this can be expensive, Smith says it may well be the one thing that saves your home when a wildfire approaches.

To learn more about protecting your home from the threat of wildfire, visit www.livingwithfire.info or call Smith at (775) 782-9960.

SCHOLARSHIP

Award applications accepted through July

The Nevada Contractors Association, a nonprofit trade group, is accepting applications for the newly created David Papadopulo Memorial Scholarship. Students must be enrolled in the Department of Civil Engineering or Construction Management programs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Applicants must be a junior or senior with a 2.5 grade point average or higher. Winners will receive a $3,750-per-year stipend to apply toward tuition and school expenses. The program was created by friends and family of David "Pappy" Papadopulo, a construction executive and industry leader, who died Nov. 6.

The deadline for fall semester entries is July 15. For more information, call 222-0320.

EVENT

Lladró to unveil piece, host signing May 8

Lladró collectors take note. Whether your collection comprises two or 30 porcelain sculptures, you haven't seen anything like this.

On May 8, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Lladró boutique inside The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian will unveil Queen of the Nile, a 5-foot-tall sculpture that retails for $135,000. The event is part of a seven-city tour, and will feature the sculpture at The Venetian shop for approximately three weeks.

Queen of the Nile re-creates the look of an Egyptian boat. The design took five years to develop, 400 hours to paint and approximately 150 hours to assemble. The composition is brought to life by 12 characters, creating a number of lively scenes.

María José Lladró, the daughter of one of the founding Lladró brothers, will continue her family's legacy by touring seven cities across the United States. On this tour, the family is celebrating Lladró's exclusive High Porcelain works of art.

During the event, those who purchase a High Porcelain piece will have the opportunity to have it signed by Maria José. Some of the proceeds from each High Porcelain purchase will be donated to Operation Smile, an international organization that raises awareness and funds to provide free reconstructive surgery for children with facial deformities.

For more information on Lladró, visit www.Lladro.com. For event information, call 414-3747.