This fall, the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association is organizing a new event to showcase its members and associates.

HomeFest is scheduled to be held Oct. 22-23 at River Bluffs, a 313-acre new-home community along the Cape Fear River in Castle Hayne. The event represents a concept new to WCFHBA, which in recent years has presented a Coastal Living Show as a fall marketing showcase.

Unlike the annual spring Parade of Homes, known in the HBA world as a scattered-site, self-guided tour, HomeFest will take place on a single site and have a festival, street-fair atmosphere, explained Cameron Moore, executive office of WCFHBA.

“It really allows us as the HBA to come in and work with all of our members and associates that are involved with this subdivision and the development team and showcase what they’re doing,” Moore said.

The approved builders at River Bluffs are Bass Built, Duke Construction Co., Herrington Homes, Plantation Building Corp., Premier Homes, 70 West, Stello Construction Inc., and Stone Built Construction Inc. (also known as Summit Building Group).  

“The HomeFest concept really works well when you have a community with multiple builders because then you can showcase the different products,” Moore said.

HomeFest will include a four-mile trail run Oct. 22 through the wooded areas of River Bluffs and along the river, a children’s zone, food and drinks and booths by homebuilders, other businesses involved in the industry and community organizations. Because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the event's charity partner will be Lump to Laughter.

“Hopefully as we build upon this if we have a very successful event, which I think we’re going to, it’s something that really can get bigger and bigger and bigger,” Moore said.

The community is well-suited to be the first showcased at HomeFest, said Moore and John Lennon, director of sales and marketing with River Bluffs Development Corp.

The number of residents grew from four families to 34 as of Aug. 15, Lennon said. At build-out, River Bluffs, which includes a 10-acre organic farm, a restaurant called Porches Cafe, and other amenities, could hold 600 homes.

“People have discovered it, and I think the two biggest things that we have going for us is the fact that we’re in New Hanover County on this side of the bridge and the fact that Burrows [River Bluff developer Burrows Smith] has really approached this development in what I would argue is an atypical fashion, meaning [for example] that he walks every lot with the builder and the purchaser to determine what trees stay and what trees go,” Lennon said.

The community’s emphasis on low-impact development will also be highlighted as part of HomeFest, Moore said.

“We want everybody to come in, be excited, understand what the community’s about, get to know the builders, get to know the community and get to understand also the vendors that are involved in building these houses,” Moore said. “We also want them to have a really good time and a new sense of appreciation for what’s right here in their backyards.”