LONG BEACH RECREATION DOG PARK ASSN.
PET FAIR, AUG. 14, 2004

July 17, 2004

Get ready for this year's Pet Fair - Saturday, Aug. 14 - our fourth annual big fund-raiser at Recreation Dog Park. To print out a flyer, click here.

This year's special guest will be Jill Kessler, left, host of "The Dog Dish" on KTIE-AM 590 out of Glendale. Kessler's show, which is geared to canines and their owners, is aired from 4 to 5 p.m. Saturdays.

A dog walk, an animal fair, games and refreshments will be the primary hubs of the event, which will run from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Registration for the dog walk will begin at 9 with the walk commencing at 10. Walkers and their dogs will have their choice of a one- or half-mile route through Recreation Park. To print out a Dog Walk registration form, click here. Participants are requested to find sponsors to make a donation. You can find registration sheets at the Bark Board bulletin board, just inside the main gate to the Dog Park, or at our website, www.geocities.com/lbdogpark. We'll have great goodie bags - toys, tags, people treats and bandannas - for first 50 dog walk signups. All participating dogs must be licensed.

The animal fair, which begins at 10, will include opportunity drawings, Chinese auctions, and contests. Scores of area merchants and individuals are donating thousands of dollars in prizes, including health club trial memberships; tickets to area amusement parks, the Aquarium of the Pacific and other events; gift baskets from Trader Joe's, Wild Oats, Bristol Farms and others; complimentary dinners and gift certificates. Drawings will be conducted periodically until the event ends.

Contests this year will be our Pin-the-Spot-on-the-Dalmatian game with special prizes for children, our new owner-and-dog Match Game, and the perennial favorite Poop Toss.

Soft drinks, sandwiches, chips and cookies will be offered beginning at 10. The Long Beach Fire and Police departments were unable to assist us this year, due to city budget cuts. We'll be serving cold sandwiches from Ma 'n' Pa's deli, a Belmont Heights institution for decades.

Helping sponsor the event is the city Department of Recreation, Parks & Marine.

Proceeds from the day's events will go directly to maintenance and improvements at the Dog Park and the Dog Zone at the beach. A portion of the funds raised - 25 percent to 35 percent - will go to local animal welfare organizations.

See you at the fair!