Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
    Is it a carnival? Is it a music festival? Is it a car show? Is it a fundraiser? It’s all that and more, and I can’t tell you how excited I’m getting about our third annual “Rockin’ the  Doghouse” event. It will take this entire column, and more, to tell you everything that is going on that day, and the best part of it for you is it’s free admission. Not a penny out of your pocket to come into Monument Park on Sept. 10 and listen to some of the best music available in the state of Maine. That’s right, not just the county, but the entire state, maybe even the entire country!
    Have you ever heard Chuck Loucka play piano? A trained concert pianist, teacher, truely gifted artist, Chuck will be playing at 2 p.m. Young people adore his energy and youthful spirit, older people appreciate his skill and finesse and everybody loves his music. If you have not heard him play, check him out on YouTube, playing “Flight of the Bumblebee”. He played so hard last year that his fingers bled. I literally saw tears in the eyes of people, they were so touched by his music. 
    And how about the band Mellow Endeavor! Awesome, talented, fabulous musicians will be joining us at noon. The band Doubletap will be playing at 4 p.m. Appealing to audiences of all ages, they will be sure to bring you to your feet, do a little dancing, have a little picnic while you listen to them, but be sure to be there. 
    The RFD Gang band will also be joining us on the 10th and I can’t wait to hear their music! This is a first for me and I’m excited to become a new fan. Hopefully you will all be there, bring your lawn chairs or sit on the grass but be sure to come.
    Also on Sept. 10 we are having a “Show and Shine” which is an antique and classic car show. Registration starts at 11 a.m., the show starts at noon. These shows are always a hit and it just amazes me to see the care and attention that these vehicles are given. I don’t wash my car for a year (don’t tell anybody), but these cars don’t have a fingerprint on them. I love the antiques, they still have the new leather smell in them, I don’t know how they do that. There are fabulous prizes which will be awarded at 3 p.m.
    All day long there will be carnival games available for the kids with a very special treat – a ping pong ball avalanche. Can you even begin to imagine, if we could get 50 kids in the park between noon and 1 p.m., the Houlton Fire Department is going to bring the ladder truck down to the park, extend the ladder and drop over 100 ping pong balls into the middle of the park. The kids will scramble to collect as many ping pong balls as they can. Some will be marked so they can turn them in for prizes and there will also be a prize for the child who collects the most balls.
    There will also be a dollar straw scramble. Dollar bills will be hidden in a bale of straw and children will each have one minute to dive into the straw and find as many dollar bills as they can.
    There will be dozens of other games going on all day long as well as great food concessions. We’ll have hot dogs, nachos, pizza, cotton candy, pop corn, cold drinks, and more. 
    This will be your last chance to buy raffle tickets on the three amazing raffles we have going on right now. The drawing will be at 4 p.m., right before Doubletap goes on stage. We are raffling off a 55-inch flat screen TV worth over $1,500, a Dual Sport Kaitai Bike worth over $600 donated by Gemma Bartley, and a framed limited edition painting by Esther Orr Faulkner. 
    Kids and adults alike will enjoy the “Minute to Win it” contests going on in the amphitheater between musical performances. At 1 p.m. and again at 3:30 p.m., contestants will be challenged to do things like moving an Oreo cookie from their forehead to their mouth without using their hands. I would love to see a town councilor or two come be a contestant. I would do it but if I won someone would think the game was rigged! I don’t know what will be more fun, being a contestant or being in the audience, but please come and participate!
    Also joining us will be Schwans Home Sales. They will be hosting a fundraising truck load sale right there in the park. We encourage pre-ordering on-line to make sure your item is on the truck to pick up on Sept. 10. In order to place your order go to http://www.schwansfundraising.com/ and click on “place an order online”, then use campaign ID 35877 and place your order. Make sure to place your order before September 7th to make sure your items are on the truck. You may also just come to the park and purchase your items the day of the event.
    We will have food sales, an art exhibit (please bring your art work with you, all must be pet related) and so much more.
    Many thanks to our corporate sponsors: State Farm Insurance, Peerless Insurance, Key Bank and Gary Dwyer. And a special thank you to Jon Miller for his hard work and dedication to this project.
    Stay tuned for more details and please join us. Bring your pets with you. This event is for the animals and we encourage you to include them in your day at the park. They’re family too after all!
    Cathy Davis is a longtime volunteer for the Houlton Humane Society. She can be reached at houltonanimalshelter@gmail.com or 532-2345.