sportsmanship abounded as a result of this peaceful ambience. Another feature was the music from the 70s playing throughout the whole venue during the judging. I must admit as a judge I had to concentrate occasion- ally on the judging as I had an uncon- trollable urge to break out in dance when some of the myriad of popular songs selected by ‘The Music Man’ Bob Birdwell aired. Bob also man- aged to play ‘personalized’ songs for each judge at the group and Best In Show level. I was quite surprised to hear a song about my breed the Shih Tzu as I judged. Where did he come up with that?! The weather gods shone on the event as each morning started with cool temperatures in the 50s and the high each day reaching to 75 degrees. Sunny skies prevailed and both dogs and people alike enjoyed the ideal weather conditions. The setup of the spacious Solano County Fairgrounds was utilized effectively with ample parking for RV’s and cars, plenty of space for the multitude of vendors
with all things doggie, great food vendors and last but not least, spa- cious outdoor rings under tenting and with manicured grass and two indoor venues for additional rings. Every- where were bright colored decora- tions keeping with the theme of days of the old Woodstock of Peace, Music and now... Dogs. One cannot express the apprecia- tion to the army of club members and volunteers who successfully staged this ‘Unique’ event. To mention only a few and my apologies to those not mentioned... sharing Chairperson du- ties over the weekend and putting out small fires before they were a prob- lem were the ever busy Phil Freilich and Deb Franklin. Hard working couple Ken and Eva Berg, who I met last year when I judged the Solano Kennel Club shows were busy co-co- ordinating the many Specialties and supported entries and Ken as Clus- ter Treasurer working hard to keep the books in the black. What makes this show a great event was the at- tention to detail, such as the amazing
hospitality including gourmet snacks and beverages—thank you all mem- bers, especially Danielle Green and Andrea Bridges. Nice to see the fa- miliar face of Shih Tzu buddy Dave Boone taking on journey man tasks to contribute. Respective club Presi- dent’sShannonFreemanandMireille Bischel should be proud of their mem- bers. Many extra events such as the Best In Specialties Competition on Saturday night with generous cash prizes for the winners and pizza and salad party afterwards contributed to the success of the event. There was also a Costume Contest for adults and juniors and a Pee Wee Competition orchestrated by none other than the extraordinary Johnny Shoemaker. In addition to all these activities, the clubs showed their leadership and dedication by facilitating an OFA Eye Certification, All Breed Cardiology and BAER Clinics. If you feel the fun has gone out of dog shows, you need to mark your calen- dars for June 2019 and attend the un- forgettableWoofstock Cluster!
46 • T op N otch T oys , J uly 2018
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